Three Times Below
by KontonNoKaze
Summary: Ever wondered about the lives you had before the one you're currently in? A recently deceased human asked themselves that question, having no other memories than a rough childhood on the Surface World. They can't recall any of the people surrounding them, nor anything about the world they speak of. They can't even remember their name.
1. Cerebrum Dispersio

**Aru here** _,_

 **Thank you** **for reading (or re-reading) this story.**

 **If you were familiar with the Charisk Tales Series, then you know most of the plot, just a few minor changes here and there to make it better this time around - hopefully.**

 **If you are not, no spoilers will be needed. Please enjoy my freshly rewritten crappy crap-crap, you will not regret it - or you will, just make sure to mention it anyways.**

 **I would not like to stress again how important your reviews are. If nothing else, they'll keep this thing going on somewhere - or make it an extremely good read, who knows.**

 ** _Almost_** **gave up this story, 'will not do it this time, promise** ... _sans_ ' **fashion**.

 **Another Charisk story is planned to run along this one, just to make things worse for me rotten brain** _*sigh*_ **but hey, old man's gotta do what old man's gotta do.**

 **Aru out,**

 _*Currently rewriting chapters 2 - 10_

* * *

" _I can only wait for the final amnesia, the one that can erase an entire life"_

 _\- Luis Buñuel_

* * *

 _201X, somewhere around Mt. Ebott._

A child was frantically trying to escape their daily bullying routine.

Hidden in a bush and quivering in fear, they heard their pursuers' footsteps closing in.

Like some hunted prey, the child didn't move a muscle. Out of fear, they nearly forgot to breathe, thus gasping for air a little louder than they should have.

"Wait, I heard something moving in that bush."

Having been found out, the bullied ran away one last time, not sure if their wobbling child-like legs would support them any longer.

"Over there ! The little sh*t is going for the peak !"

"You'll regret making us skip lunch break for your sorry a** !"

It was a miracle they could outrun those foul-mouthed seniors for the past two hours.

They were just another kid who had enough of being beaten to a pulp, robbed of their few possessions and humiliated day after day.

They heard of the cursed mountain, and the missing children. Their foster parents - two among many others - have been talking about it the day before.

The wimpy kid thus planned to escape today after ditching second period, knowing they would just suffer another embarassing treatment down the school hall.

At the peak, a gaping hole stood before the child, one they could not see the other end of it.

Hesitant to jump in, they simply peered into the abyss. For a moment, it seemed like the darkness was gazing back at them, smirking at their pitiful appearance.

Covered in dead leaves and dirt, their modest clothing was ruined and their body full of bruises and scratches.

They were still considering the free fall, there was no point running any further in their state. Yet, the child was still not sure how deep the hole was.

It took three angry seniors panting like enraged mutts, and a misplaced thick vine for the child to fall without their consent.

They screamed at the top of their lungs, as darkness swallowed them whole.

* * *

 _201X, In another plane of existence._

The child, still lost in blackness, saw themselves along another human. After a bumpy first meeting, they gradually got attached to that person.

 **"I love you, very much so."**

Holding hands and locking lips with that person felt like second nature to them, for they were their one and only, their significant other.

 **"Please, do not let go, your hands are warm."**

Of course, it wasn't all rosy and lighthearted along the way. They happened to argue bitterly, being on the verge of death more than once.

 **"I need some time, to think it through."**

Yet in the end, they patched things up and made it through thick and thin. After one last stand, however, death finally took its toll.

 **"You're here ... you made it ... I'm glad."**

In their arms, was their frail looking companion in their dying breath. Pale as snow, with fading pupils, and trembling all over their small stature

Again, the desperate human screamed, not out of fear but of frustration.

It wasn't the end they planned at all, they were supposed to be, grow and die together.

 ** _"Name your poison."_**

Something whispered to their ear, a growling, primal voice. It offered to give their beloved back, at a price.

This world denied the fallen human the one wish they held dear, leaving them with nothing else to lose but their own SOUL.

 ** _"Nice doing business with you, partner."_**

All they knew soon became null and void.

Time stopped, then went backwards.

* * *

They were back at their starting point, like a magical SAVE of sort. There was their beloved, barely alive. Looking at their sleeping face, they vowed to complete the deal they just made.

 **Kill every creature to restore their lover' SOUL.**

And so they did, taking countless lives and sullying their hands. They were no longer themselves anymore, their "partner" having corrupt their very core.

 _"Behold the true nature of humans, you wretched monstrosity."_

People they befriended at happier times stood in their way, believikg they could stop their massacre. The human knew they could not quit, and they were far stronger than their monster friends.

 **"Ha ... Ha ... Ha ..."**

They had to do it, no matter what. They were too desperate to stop their bloody harvest, fearing for their lover's lifespan

 _"I BELIEVE ... IN YOU ..."_

At times, they met stronger foes. Those determined to end their carnage, those who almost finished them off.

 ** _"I won't ... give up ..."_**

Others went without putting much of a fight, often boring them more than anything else.

"I guess you ... won't be joining .. my fan club ..."

Their best friend was the last one to stand in the way, after delaying the fight for as long as possible.

 _" ... kids like you ..._ _ **SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL."**_

Though they never made it unscathed, the corrupted human lived on. Their clothes smelled of blood and white dust, gripping their blade as hard as they could.

Having sated their hunger, both partners wanted to die at their lovers' hand. Only them were worthy of taking their life, only them will save what little _humanity_ they still had.

When the shaking blade pierced the hollow human's heart, they were finally free from that filthy body of theirs. Their demon met a specter of the past, one determined to do the right thing.

Now closer to death than anything else, a fading human and a dying monster joined hands. Vowing to help their lovers from the grave, a miracle occurred.

Right before time undid what could never be undone.

* * *

 _201X, one last time, down the abyss._

The dead child opened their eyes, as much as they could manage to. They found themselves "sitting" a golden flowerbed, bathing in a ray of sunlight.

It wasn't really sitting per se, they were floating slightly above that flowerbed. The sunlight wasn't warming them up either, just passing right through a hollow body like thin air.

Were they finally dead?

The child tried moving around, testing their new disposition. Of course, setting foot on anything would immediately make them phase through it. Any contact held the same result as well, to which the child simply sighed.

They were dead, alone and stuck somewhere unknown.

It was not that unpleasant, to be honest, for they will not be bothered down here. It's a good thing they're dead too, no one would exactly miss a wimpering kid on the Surface.

Their inexistent heart ached at the thought, as if gripped by a human their age. At the same moment, they laid their eyes on another flowerbed.

Another human was lying there, someone they've met before, but couldn't place when or where that meeting occurred.

Brown hair, pale skinned and dressed like the ghost child. They were seemingly asleep, the rise and fall of their chest was steady and quiet.

The sleeping child looked older, and wasn't particularly attractive, but the ghost human was incredibly nervous around them.

Them opening red, gleaming eyes and looking around the area in confusion only made the nervous ghost much more embarrassed.

The ghost think they knew who that was, judging by the feeling that warmed up their body. Rattling their head in vain, they could not come up with a memory or a name.

Speaking of names ... what was their own, again?

* * *

 _ *** Title in latin, combining "brain" and "confusion", among other possible meanings.** _


	2. Nuire

_"Lord, give me the strength and courage_  
 _T_ _o look upon my body and soul_  
 _w_ _ithout disgust."_

 _\- Charles Baudelaire_

* * *

Another human woke up in this unknown, underground garden. Their red eyes were lost in the dim landscape, but quickly came back to their pulsing body.

The ghost could also hear that heartbeat, both living and dead dwelled in the sound of a new life.

" I ..."

The human "pulled out" a pulsing heart shaped container, who was covered by similarly formed bones. It was as if their vessel had a ribcage of its own.

" I am alive ...?"

The ghost looked at the confused human, not sure of what was going on either. Furthermore, neither of them had any memory of the place they were in.

" This is ... my SOUL ...?"

Something ached inside the ghost, as surprising as it may be.

Weren't they supposed to be dead?

Were they really deceased after all?

An unpleasant feeling ran through the fading existence, one too intense to make the ghost question if their death was real.

The human, eyes now full of disbelief, jolted as they remembered how they got here.

"I ... really killed them, I killed #$&€£"

The ghost was relieved somehow, despite having no idea why or how they pershied. Death would have been painful at the hands of monsters, or at least that is what they thought.

There, the red-eyed human started crying. Tears flowed down their pale cheeks without a pause, repeating a name the ghost couldn't make sense of. Between sniffles, the human spoke, overwhelmed by guilt.

"I am so sorry ... I dragged you ... In all that ... O beloved."

A second surge of pain went through the ghost, as if something broke inside their transparent body. It soon faded as well, when they saw the human crushed by regret.

Something deep inside told the ghost they were faulty, but they could not exactly put a name on it. In any case, it was unlike what the hu- no, it was unlike what the girl said.

That's right, the human was a girl, slightly taller and clearly more endowed than them. Her tears stopped a while ago as she simply laid hazy eyes on her surroundings.

She gasped in horror once she looked past the ghost, right under the hole where the latter thought they fell from.

As the ghost turned around, their pupils shrunk from ... fear?

Something tall, ominous and overall disturbing stood there. Fully coated in black, save for a masked face, the being was holding their hands high up.

It was as if they were thankful to exist.  
Without a word, they walked past the ghost, and stood besides the baffled human girl.

"Y-Y-YOU ... you managed to revive as well?!"

"It seems so, O Fallen princess."

The ghost now realized she was royalty, despite her bland appearance. The monster kneeled to her comically, to which she simply voiced a _hmph_ before fully standing up on her two feet.

The odd living pair started moving out towards a marbled door frame, followed by a hesitant ghost who floated in their steps.

None of them noticed another dead being, who lurked in the darkness before tailing a human, a monster and a ghost passing through a double staircase.

* * *

Further ahead, shades of pink with a purple ground covered the walls and ground respectively.

Seemingly inoffensive creatures populated the area, all seemed to be from down the area called " The Ruins."

In the one house that stood there, a scent of cinnamon pie and golden flower tea came to the mind of the human. The inside was cozy, and the magical chimney kept the place warm and bright.

Yet, today was different. There were no pleasant fragrances or any sense of a sweet cozy home. Only dread loomed over the premises, accompanied by the smell of charred fur.

Down the only basement in the Ruins, there was a large monster standing by a door. They wore a tortured expression, one torn between frenzy and despair.

They haven't moved a muscle since they got there, which felt like hours to them.

They simply glared at the stone entrance with red and golden eyes, waiting for something to happen.

 _Someone to come ..._

 _Anything ..._

 _Nothing came, however_.

There, the monster wept tears and screamed familiar names, before charging up a magical attack.

They aimed the blazing fireball at the door, and released it. The door cracked slightly at the impact, followed by the sound of the trembling ceiling.

A smoking paw, stenched with crisped white fur and droplets of blood, shot another fireball.

 _ **And another.**_

 _ **And another.**_

 _ **And another**_.

Each attack had its lot of tremor and peeble drops, but both the door and the ceiling held themselves well. The frenzied monster stopped attacking after their arm stiffened and shot acute pain through the rest of their body.

On one knee, the monster slowly channeled a green aura in their other paw, in an attempt to heal the injured arm. The wounds healed slowly, and they couldn't focus hard enough without biting their lips to withstand the pain.

It took probably another hour for the monster to fully heal their arm, depleting their magical reserves and forcing them to sit down. Their back on the wall, they watched the slight rifts on the ceiling, drawn like branches of a tree.

They were not exactly sure why they were here or what they were doing, but something dark made them go crazy earlier this morning.

They have indluged into the same routine they kept since the last human went by, strolling to the other end of the ruins, greeting their fellow monsters and staying alert in case _some aggressive flower_ popped up.

That morning was just another peaceful one, however, and they made it back home safe and sound. Yet, there were two odd occurences during their trip back to their abode.

One was something clutching on their heart when they stood in the underground garden, akin to a human hand squeezing their SOUL until it bursted.

The other was strange visions, whenever they greeted their fellow monsters. They saw them turning into dust for mere seconds, then found the same monsters alive and kicking.

Both events made them feel uneasy, but hadn't been on their mind once they made some snail pie and a cup of golden tea.

Few sips and bites, and a couple pages later, the old monster had their usual afternoon nap.

Unbeknownst to them, their fur started shifting to a darker color, spreading through half of their body.

An awful nightmare played as they were slowly being "corrupt", one they've seen many times.

They were either killed by a human child, stabbed right through their soul, as they were embracing them.

They were also slashed through their chest, insides falling out of their limp body, and SOUL crushed by an old, child-sized shoe.

All of these played out until the culprit's image was printed on their mind, who this time was breaking their neck.

When they woke up, they noticed they felt ... different. Walking up to the mirror on the hallway, their were taken aback by their new appearance.

Their desire to keep children alive soon merged with an atrocious urge to kill, should it be necessary to keep said children from harm.

Their body moved along to the basement without thinking, pulling every magic reserve they had into offense.

Even the incantation was wrong, a proper fireball was normally created from nothingness, through the caster's mind.

This time, the fire came from within them : frustration, fear, hatred, guilt, dread, powerlessness. All what could make a compassionate heart burn in agony manifested.

All because they saw children go to their death, all because they couldn't **stop them.**

* * *

 _ ***Title in French, which can translate to "do harm" - and if you shuffle letters it also give the French word for ruin.**_


	3. Hear, Fear, Here

_"To good and true love fear is forever affixed."_

 _\- Francois Rabelais_

* * *

As three strangers were going ahead of them, a new existence made herself known.

Another ghost, once a monster, followed a living pair and a fellow ghost. Clad in light armor and cloaked in black, they extended a hand to the dead human, patting their shoulder.

When the young ghost thought they were the stalker, someone was actually tailing them. The skeletal hand was slim, and so were its fingers. Their light tap made the human shudder, despite no longer having a body.

"Hello, partner."

Fear was replaced by confusion, again, and it seems the little ghost's past chased him back beyond life. The skeletal person also felt familiar, more so when she utterrd that partner.

"Come on, we must follow those we SAVED."

"We SAVED them?"

Both etheral beings were surprised, one because they haven't spoke until now, and the other because they wondered if they met the wrong "partner."

"Do you remember anything about us?, $#%€ ?"

"No, nothing at all."

The ghost monster sighed, but followed the living with them nonetheless. Their human partner was bothered by how dysfunctional their memory was, especially since everybody else seemed to remember what happened to them.

Both living and dead went through the place called the Ruins. They were met with little resistance, for a supposedly hostile land. Monsters never barred their path, and traps weren't that complicated to solve.

While the masked monster scared off any potential aggro'ers, the human girl looked around for buttons and levers when needed. She also tried to talk to a dummy, which made her fellow human question her sanity for a second.

"Ah, that dummy got scared."

The young ghost did not get the meaning, until they saw something floating away from said dummy.

That was their second ectoplasm meeting of today, and they wondered if they could get to know those people first before meeting others ahead.

As if fate desired it otherwise, they soon met a third ghost, one on the verge of tears. It took the living a few more puzzles and negotiations with a capricious rock, but this guy looked like a tougher monster.

The girl munched a candy, expecting to recover some energy before dodging attacks from the shy ectoplasm. Her fellow human, however, went to talk to him.

"What brings you here?"

"Ah ... um ... Hi"

Things had to be handled slowly with this ghost, concluded the not-so-dead child.

"Hey, what brings you in that narrow passage?"

The ghost formed spectral tears in his eyesockets, which naturally flowed and attacked the girl. She got hit once or twice, but managed to dodge the rest.

Since the attack took her by surprise, she yelped, earning a chuckle for the masked monster. The human ghost panicked, then waved to his teary monster counterpart.

"Would you please let those people go through?"

"Uh, sure ... i am sorry."

More tears flowed downwards toward the girl, who took again one or two bits of damage. She got annoyed by this, gripping an invisible handle.

The boy froze at her expression, expecting the worst to happen if she would attack a monster. He approached her current "opponent", then tried to hug him.

Napstablook, as the girl managed to find through her monster partner, stopped crying.

" I am sorry, I just need these people to go by their way, and I never meant to upset you either.

"Um, human ... you're nice."

When the girl had a free turn, she recovered her composure and stopped looking for a weapon she knew she no longer has.

The now appeased ghost asked the girl to have him perform a magic trick, to which she agreed. She was glad she could make it out without a FIGHT, and felt something phasing through her young body.

A human touch, for mere seconds, a hand brushing her own.

She blushed, it was a familiar hand, one she yearned to have in her palm if she succeed in her current run. The dead human jolted in turn, it was the first thing they could ever physically feel, and it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

They wondered why they ever managed to touch her hand, until something glowed on the girl's neck.

A red, heart-shaped pendant, pulsing with life like her crimson eyes.

The girl smiled, then seemed to turn around and face the ghost - which could not see - and mumbled a poem she knew by heart.

 _To live and to be kept alive_  
 _The difference is nonexistent_  
 _To die and to be killed_  
 _The difference is likewise_  
 _Nonexistent_

As the human slowly digested the meaning, she thanked her invisible helper, then moved towards a house.

The abode reminded the child of their own, wondering if their past still chased them this far. They had no flashbacks up until now, just voices every now and then when the girl met monsters.

Voices of monsters pleading for their lives.

"Please ... spare me."

Trembling voices, then blood gurgles or highpitched whimpers.

"I ... I have a family ... please !"

"Please ... do not ... kill me"

Along the pleas, stabbing and gutting sounds were heard. A growl and a cackle were present all the time, as if the murderer thoroughly enjoyed his work.

Was it them?

They were not totally convinced they could be this ruthless, but since they were dead, it could also be their punishement.

Sentenced to death for being a murderer by their own lover.

As the thought heavily weighed on their hazy mind, living and dead entered the empty house. The stench of burnt fur and dust soon filled their nostrils, prompting them to follow it down the basement.

They were met with a hallway, and a *thud* could be heard with every step they made. It got louder around one sharp turn, and they could finally see whomever was making that much noise.

A monster blasting a stone with magic, who turned around and faced them with a perfectly symmetrical black & white body.

The human ghost trembled in fear, and all except the masked monster were bewildered by the hostile presence.

The monster stopped assaulting the room, slowly turned back to glare at the intruders.

Only the girl spoke among the beings preseny in the basement whispered a "mother", as she fell on her knees.

The dead human was even more terrified when they saw the struggling monster in the flesh.

They remember everything they did to that once gentle being. They remember the bloody room in which they bathed, among human and monster lifeless bodies. They remember her - the motherly queen of monsters - panting as she came back from the dead.

Her flesh was torn apart, her guts were out in the open, and she no longer had eyes, only empty sockets fueled with rage.

 ** _"HA ... HA ... HA_**  
 ** _AHAHAHAHAHAHA !_**  
 ** _YOU ARE THE MONSTER AFTER ALL_**  
 ** _I SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED THEM FROM YOU !_**  
 ** _YOU ARE NO ANGEL !_**  
 ** _YOU ARE AN_** ** _ABOMINATION !"_**

* * *

 _ **Aru here,**_

 _ **This was supposed to be dedicated to a giod friend be**_ _ **fore it got flushed out, so I brought the chapter back - it is worse than the original though.**_

 ** _Please review and vote as you see fit, anything helps this thing get better ... or worse than ever._**

 _ **Aru out,**_

 _*Title is a_ _ **Bleach**_ _Chapter_ , mo _st of Chara's little poem being Äs Nödt's, and is pretty straighforward - it's either live or die anyways, no matter how you do it and / or get there._


	4. Le Rouge et le Noir

_"Indeed, man has two different beings inside him. What devil thought of that malicious touch."_

 _\- Stendhal_

* * *

The girl had no idea how to stop her "Mother" from attacking them, the latter being thrown in a near berserk state at the view of "strangers".

While the monster's blackened half threatened to use those attacks he performed on the door, the sane half struggled to steer the fireball away from the being in front of them.

One fireball was shot, grazing the girl's arm and phasing through the masked specter. The near hit enraged the monster, who reluctantly shot another fireball and missed.

The specter never intervened to protect the girl, simply spectating the sorry state their Queen was in. He probably had a reason not to FIGHT, but the human ghost couldn't figure it out.

There, his female fellow ghost stepped up, whispering the awful truth behind this passive behavior.

"You know, partner, we already killed that monster a long time ago. Them, and _**many, many, many**_ more after that."

The ghost "shuddered", their worries came true at last. They were indeed a killer, one who made the frenzied being in front of them become what they are.

Mere seconds passed, but a million horribly looking things passed through their non-existent mind : The dying girl, their dead mother, a shattered heart, dust, cries, screams, wails, blood, guts, blood, and guts again.

Sins crawled on their back, clutching on their neck and nearly choked it. They wheezed, oddly enough, as if they were about to fade. They looked at their hand, hoping they were wrong, but all they saw were melting limbs drowned in blood and dust.

The female ghost shooked their demented partner to wake them up, pointing at the girl who just took a direct hit. She may be still standing, but the charred flesh and her wincing face did betray her unfavourable state.

The specter continued spectating the scene, wondering what would happen next. He never intervened, not even once, to SAVE the human girl. When she took the attack head on, he looked at the wound then said.

"You might not want to die on your way to redemption."

The girl maintained stares at her demented parent, talking to the being behind her.

"Fancy talking, for someone who is not doing a thing."

The specter smirked, approached her, then whispered.

"I'll help only if you're about to die, or they probably will, again."

The human girl smiled, she was seemingly expecting that kind of treatment. Being left alone to fight a frenzied monster, who turns out to be her mother of sorts. Worse, she probably won't take more than two other fireballs before dying.

Just as the little ghost finished processing all of that, the girl was hit again.

This time, it scraped a bit more of her left arm, making it bleed as her flesh was burnt pretty badly. She bit her lip in anticipation of the pain, and she never left a scream.

The human ghost wondered why she would not flee, cry, scream or any other thing someone their age would do. They wanted to help her, but thought they will probably phase through the attack.

Their mind now even more clouded by hate, the monster fueled their feelings into another flame-based attack. The girl stood there, waiting for the inevitable to come. Death was a small price to pay for her, the abomination she once was had no right to exist after all.

When the attack got close to her, it was intercepted by something. Rather, someone she thought she wouldn't see again.

A boy.

The ghost had jumped desperately, convinced he would do little yet frustrated by not doing a thing. He was surprised to sustain the hit, but immediately phased out of existence as he screamed in pain.

The loud complaint woke the monster from its forced slumber, and the "corruption" slowly retracted from their body. Falling on their knees from exhaustion, they looked at a familiar face, but couldn't recognize the other.

Their golden eyes were still tainted in red, proof they were not fully out of their predicament. The girl looked back at them, walked the meager distance between them, then embraced her mother with her valid arm.

Both stayed in half an embrace, after which the Queen, who now was a little more aware of her surroundings, started healing her child's arm. The girl looked up at her mother's own damaged limb, crying at how badly shaped it was.

The specter went upstairs, satisfied that the Queen was saved. He also noted a few things on a journal before heading out, then he disappeared.

Few hours later, the ghost boy was resting on the lap of a skeleton. A female one, judging by her facial expression. She had an annoying smirk and wore some sort of armor set, making her lap quite hard to rest upon.

The boy wondered how he managed to rest at all, he was pretty sure he took a hit and almost passed out because of it. Checking his etheral body for any marks of the assault was useless, as it was again whole and functioning.

"Where is she?"

The skeleton frowned her invisible eyebrows, not getting what the boy meant.

"Who are you talking about, partner?"

The boy sighed, then spoke again.  
"The girl."

A giggle escaped a jaw that was able to make that kind of sound, contrary to what the boy would had thought.

"She left with her mother, they are probably catching up now."

The boy wanted to go and see her, yet his fellow ghost stopped him before asking.

"Are you sure you want to see what you did, #$&*?"

Little she knew, the boy saw bits and pieces of the horrible things he have perpetrated.

"I am, I need to know."

Before he left, she patted his head and smiled unusually. He couldn't tell why, but his "partner" was different from what his gut was feeling about her.

"Be careful what you wish for."

Those words made the boy hesitate for a bit, but he still floated upstairs. The house looked different at least, a little warmer and livelier than before. The girl was apparently in the kitchen, helping her mom in making a pie.

The boy wished he still had a mother at this point, but his own was dead as far as he can remember. At least, that girl seemed okay and was happy. He smiled weakly at the scenery of a normal family life, then looked for a room to rest.

The girl entered her designated bedroom for the night, as her mother wished her a good night before closing the door. Their meeting was weird, it was not the first either. The Queen had no previous memory of meeting her long lost daughter, the latter focusing on tending to her mother's bloodied and charred paw.

They did not speak a word for two hours, content of being together. The air between them was full of confusion, guilt and apprehension Yet, that did not ruin the long-standing bond they had with each other.

The Queen scooped her little nurse and rested her on her lap, gazing in length at the human. The girl was a little embarassed, nobody had ever looked at her that hard. After much thought, the queen finally spoke up.

"How can I tell you are not some hallucination?"

"Well, Mother, I don't think dead people can make pie."

Thus she had brought some pie with her, for a night snack. Her pendant glowed the closer she was to the bed, which caught her attention. As she left the plate on a night stand, she slowly got into the bed. Human features showed on the other side of the small-sized mattress, one she knew of.

She started crying quietly, wetting the fabric of the bed as her hand yearned to touch the sleeping boy.

/ ^#& was there.

He was certainly dead, but not forgotten.

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _This is dedicated to TashHhh4, aka Tash-sama, because she's freaking good at her job. She might need a little push to publish her chapters though so please check her out_**

 ** _Next time, there might be a bonus chapter which comes earlier. Why? Because my three old books will start colliding together again._**

 ** _I should start looking for anything else but French authors - or not, I mean, they're inspiring._**

 ** _Votes and reviews are mostly appreciated, as always._**

 ** _Aru out,_**

 _*Title is a book's, who among other themes, discusses the duality of men, feelings, status and such. The red could be pure love, in that case. L.O.V.E, on the other hand, is the black, corrupt fuel of those tormented by the past._


	5. Boy Meets Girl (Bonus)

_"People find meaning and redemption in the most unusual human connections."_

\- Khaled Hosseini

* * *

 _I had a weird dream, that night I went to see if the human girl was alright. I keep insisting she is human while knowing I was one but ... I cannot exactly what am I anymore. Human? Monster? Ghost? None of the above? Really, I just do not what I am, except being a killer of course._

 _That was sometime when I fell down, and there I thought I died on my first time, a shame really. I could have just died and not hurt more people, but I woke up in that same flowerbed I happened to float on this time around. She was there, I couldn't see or feel her yet, but a little voice inside my head rang as some flower tried to attack me._

 _The girl was cold, harsh and a little distant at first, although she nearly broke down in tears when she saw her "mom". Truth is, I enjoyed her company since I heard her in my head, at least I was not completely alone in some forsaken monster land._

 _Her name was # &×€+_

 _Right, I can't remember that one either._

 _She warmed up after a while, being a touchy-feely kid had its perks too. Although she pushed me back as a "ghost", she slowly gave in to hugs, then tears, then kisses. Pretty sure she liked to be the lead role on these things, but I digress._

 _We met her sane mom already, and fought our way through after she had me killed. Yes, you see, she wasn't herself at that time. At least, she wasn't herself_ yet _, just some girl with her own demons gnawing at her SOUL._

 _/ ^ * was crying on my limp body, cursing herself for being someone that cannot attain redemption. My hazy mind wanted to hug her, tell her all is right, make her stop crying. My body refused to move though, trapped into another dream._

 _A bloody one, the same that I saw before. Monsters we passed by dying by my hand, me going through many a phase before accepting my predicament, my mindless body raining slices on bystanders, the girl's mom ... hugging me?_

 _Did she ... really hug me before I killed her? I couldn't tell at the time, I was just ..._

 ** _Lost._**

 ** _Broken._**

 ** _Corrupt._**

 _I just wanted to get back what I lost, fix what was broken, cleanse what was corrupt. I've lost my SOUL, I've broken my body, I've corrupted my mind by my own hands. Limbs drowned in black mud, burning them to a crisp then patching them messily. Mind drunken in black liquor, taking what it thought was theirs. Body broken by black bones, trying to protect my demons from fading._

 _What never faded was the atrocious headache, the nauseating feeling in my chest, and my trembling hands whenever I managed to kill something. I was maybe frenzied, hysterical, or perhaps genuinely enjoying what I did, but I hated doing that for every moment I was in._

 _Before my mind gets overwhelmed by genocide, something warm snuggled me, the feeling was familiar, but I could not place it. It was probably her, but I couldn't tell anyways, I haven't heard her name in ages._

 _"Howdy, "_

 _Or did I?_

 _"Please take care of her like you always did."_

 _Some monster showed up, one gentle and quiet, one the girl knew of._

 _"Please take care of Chara."_

 _Ah, yes._

 _That was her name, I remember now, it was a lovely name._

 _I remember saying it to her when I was ..._

 ** _Back from the dead._**

* * *

Frisky was there, he was really there. He wasn't completely dead, he could still be SAVE'd. Happiness filled my newly revived SOUL, the one that lives thanks to this human. I wonder what I could have been without him, lost in the path of killing one more human to get their SOUL perhaps. I _did_ kill him, I hated it, but what I hated most was how trifle he thought his life was. He loved a killer like me more than anything, just like I did. He was never to blame when he took the same path I did, the one I hated the most.

He seemed troubled in his sleep, clenching and un-clenching his now grown, rough hands. I did not want to scare him, I would lose him again if that happened. No one knows how hard will it be for me to lose him _again_ , after many hardships. My hand wanted to touch that slightly dark skin, feel his fingers embracing mine, give warmth to his seemingly cold body. I wanted him, I yearned for him, for that small window of him being flesh and bones.

When he started shivering, holding his head with his hands and screaming silently, I knew the dream turned to a nightmare. I knew what those were made of, I felt the same when I was in his shoes, I could not sleep because of them. What helped me was his embrace, a light spooning like he knew how to do it. I hesitated to close the distance, the last time I did was when I ...

 **Killed him.**

My arms slowly embraced the now wheezing chest of my Frisk, after pausing a few times before getting there. I clutched on a fabric I knew almost intimately, it was the one I got rid of every time I ate him up. A blush crept my cheeks as I spooned Chocolate, putting my hand on his shoulder, and sticking to him to feel him whole. my SOUL felt content, and he seemed to relax.

"Chara."

Tears flowed my cheek before I realized why they did.

He remembered my name.

I couldn't be happier.

* * *

 ** _Hey there,_**

 ** _Now that this bonus has been safely delivered, I can concentrate on finishing the actual Wednesday chapter - the sequel, y'know._**

 ** _I like Khaled Hosseini, but haven't read much from him. Guy knows how to turn extremely tragic stories into something readable and enjoyable - unlike this modest fanfic._**

 ** _Nevertheless, feel free to vote and review, it helps._**

 ** _Aru out,_**


	6. Bare Scars

_"A scar nobly got is a good livery of honor."_

 _\- William Shakespeare_

* * *

Chara, now asleep, was still happily embracing "Frisky". The boy who slowly awoke for his slumber, jolted when he realized he was sleeping next to the girl he now knew a little more about.

Chara shuffled herself a little, hugging "Frisky" close to her. Although he desperately tried not to wake her up as he slowly broke the embrace, she opened an eye and smiled to him.

"Frisky" was a little caught off guard, blushing at how close the two were.

"Where are you going, Frisky?"

He could hear that name, or was it a name? He should ask her about it.

"Is that my name?"

Chara stopped looking at Frisk, a little puzzled at his request, she answered shortly after processing the question.

"That is your nickname, Chocolate."

"Frisky" looked straight at her eyes, paused for a bit, then asked her again.

"Should I call you Red then?"

Chara, a tad confused the boy went for something generic, wondered why.

"Why would you go for that?"

The boy looked again at her eyes, and blushing cheeks, then started replying slowly. He also backed off a little bit, else he would be tempted to take a closer look at the cute person he probably dated once upon a time.

"You know, Chara, wait ... can I call you Chara?"

The pale girl faked her disappointment, puffing her cheeks and frowning excessively.

"You used to be more daring, my friend."

"Frisky" sighed, that kind of exchange sounded familiar, yet unusual. He does not recall any human he could talk with like that. Surprisingly, he wasn't afraid of her anymore either, since he apprehended their first meeting from the beginning.

"Your rosy cheeks are redder than your eyes. Those gleaming eyes are the first thing I recall when I dreamed of you tonight."

Chara grinned, she missed being called anything else but her own name. Honestly, she can't remember who gave her that name either. She remembers her parents in the Underground, her foolish attempt at freeing them from the magical barrier, and all that unfold from her actions. She can't recollect anything about her past life, although she felt she was alive long before being the child of çé_'&( and $^ù*_".

"Anyways, can you let me go, please?"

The demand stopped Chara's thoughts short, she smiled at "Frisky" then bluntly replied.

"No, child, I won't."

The boy furrowed an eyebrow, he was certainly no child and it kind of annoyed him to be called so.

"I am no longer a child, Red, not with what I did."

He recalled that half-dream, half-nightmare as he shivered a bit. Chara felt his distress and embraced him harder, almost ripping his clothing apart.

"Don't go, anything is fine. Just ... don't go."

"Frisky" was no longer into that much lovey-dovey stuff, but his body could tell Chara was different. He was "okay" with her touching him, without prior consent, like some vague memory of old.

He naturally patted her head, brushing her short hair in the process. She looked up at him for a good minute, then buried herself into his sweater. Frisk kept her close, feeling her hand wandering under his sweater.

It passed through all the scars he sustained, all those made by the few who challenged his folly. Those were no noble injury, simply bare scars made out of "Love".

Chara lulled herself with the touch, until she started snoring lightly. "Frisky" slowly escaped the embrace, but gave his once beloved a peck before going back to being a ghost.

* * *

Meanwhile, down an alley in the Ruins, a monster sitting on autumn leaves sat there, waiting for someone to come by. He chose the place because few monsters would loiter around here, as they sticked to their own favorite areas.

Soon, a cloaked individual came by and sat close to the patient specter. They remained silent for quite some time, before the hidden monster showed his face and talked.

"Wingding."

The specter slowly turned his face towards his interlocutor, smiled widely, then went back to his usual expression.

"Ribstone."

One more silence followed, each of the two monsters ruffling with their own leaves' pile. Ribstone spoke, again, wondering about the purpose of this encounter.

"Why have you called me here, Aster?"

Aster did not look back, simply brushing leaves away from his pants before replying.

"Chatter, friendly chatter, Arial dear."

Arial looked surprised, the same male that did not come to rescue her before she died, father of her once children, called her for "friendly" chatter.

"Last time we tried that, we ended up with blades on each other's throat."

Aster chuckled, it is true that they fought once or twice last time they met.

"Do you miss me that much?"

"I do, my love, I do."

Arial stopped talking, no matter how awful that male skeleton was towards her, she herself indluged into space/time disruption and human torture.

"No matter what you did in the past, nothing can really take off the notches you suffered on my behalf."

Aster felt equally guilty, as he slowly raised his two floating hands towards Arial's face. He caressed every notch that was there, looking for them with small light beads in his eyesockets. Arial took those hovering limbs into her own hands, trying to recall how she felt a long time ago, when they just met.

Aster was a loner, she was an aspiring Royal Guard. They met when she first tried to register for her four year training program, clicking almost instantly. Her, because he looked quite mysterious and reserved, thus a challenging person to talk to. Him, because she was one of the few monsters to acknowledge his existence.

"Love, what can I do to clear my name?"

She cutted her own reminiscence short, before it turns into the nightmare she willingly made hersek. Aster simply squeezed Arial's hands.

"Keeping the Princess alive will do."

Is that all? Arial was lost in thought, protecting a single life seemed too cheap a price for her redemption. She pushed forward, trying to make Aster deliver a worthy punishment.

"I thought you would despise me after all those things I did, from quite some time too."

She hated how calm and collected he was, at almost every occasion.  
She hated him for a long time because he had not "SAVE"d her. Now, she hated herself, for carrying sheer, bloody hatred for a male whose only sin was being absorbed in work.

"We're equally faulty, Arial. I have not done a thing to stop you before, I could have, but my remaining feelings clouded my judgment."

She had enough of his mercy, so she stepped forward, and clutched on his clothes. Stripping one side bare, she saw the horror of his actual body. A skeleton with countless notches, some deep, some stretching on many bones, other clearly made from heavy bludgeoning.

"When did you get all of those? Did you secretly became a Royal Guard or something?"

Both chuckled, that was one hell of a scenario, yet the truth was grim and unpleasant.

"Let us say ... it took that much of a beating on me to wake you up, the last time we fought against each other."

He then wore back his clothing, took all the hands he possessed and hugged Arial. She was on the verge of tears, her, an anomaly that killed countless lives. She didn't know someone would bother saving her, let alone take that much damage.

They remained in that embrace until it was time to go back and check on the human children, who still had to deal with the Queen -albeit in a more pacifist form this time.

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _Because of IRL stuff, Wednesday's Chapter is not coming until ... Saturday. Yes, double the reading on the end of the week, again._**

 ** _Quote is_** ** _barely_** ** _used, but it contrasts well with how all those individual hurted each other. Some scars are far from being noble._**

 ** _Where is Toriel though? Eh, she'll probably get a lot of screentime on Saturday. In the meantime, vote/review if you like or hate it, please !_**

 ** _Aru out,_**


	7. Vergangenheit

_You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good, You are only loitering and sluggard_

 _\- Khalil Gibran_

* * *

Chara woke up in a cold bed, despite having been covered in a blanket. The warmth Frisk left near her slowly dissipated overnight, yet she was happily giggling as she woke up.

At least, he was still here.

Chara looked at her room, or perhaps was it every human child's room. They were eight, herself included, and that much had not been enough to free the monsters once and for all.

She could imagine the pain her mother went through everytime a child left. If her memories were correct, Sabrina - or Patience - did not even make it past Snowdin. The others fell each in every other area, leaving one SOUL to be secured for Monsterkind's freedom.

Frisk's.

Chara heard footsteps coming her way, and went on a sitting position as she rubbed her eyes. Toriel came in shortly, hesitant to enter a room she has not visited for long. Chara smiled at her now sane Mother, she then went to the door and took her paw.

"It is alright, Mother, you can come inside."

The room felt a lot livelier with a child in, and Toriel knew that much. The usually silent, cold kids' room had now the soothing feeling of a gentle fire. Chara's presence perhaps brought bad memories, but also filled her old heart with hope.

Perhaps this time, Chara would stay home for good.

"Good morning, Chara."

"Good morning, Mother."

Toriel's golden eyes wanted to cry at the trivial exchange. She couldn't believe that her long lost daughter was back. Chara was equally shaken, everytime she met with Toriel had the same calming effect on her heart.

Toriel hugged her child close, as Chara giggled and tried to reciprocate the embrace as much as she could. She felt the soft fabric of her mother's fur on her skin, tickling her a bit but filling her with much deserved warmth.

Just like the old times.

"Are you leaving me again?"

Toriel, as usual, asked quite abruptly about the most pressing matter in her opinion. She glanced at Chara's eyes, then shifted to her mute lips. She waited for an answer that never came, as Chara was lost in thought. A steadily heavier silence filled the room, making both mother and daughter quite anxious.

"I can stay for a couple days with you, but I'll eventually have to leave to see Father."

Toriel was not sure how to feel about that, she wouldn't let her newly recovered child get killed again. She may be happy to have them around for a while, but it would not probably be enough. Chara saw Toriel's urge to plead her, so she thought of something no child asked of her Mother before.

"In a week time, I'll go and see King Dad, and you can come with me."

The old Queen was a little distraught at the proposal, it was certainly reasonable but she would leave her reclusive life for the first time. Toriel was afraid the past would catch up to her, she went astray for so long. Leaving Monsterkind without a leader, she hidden herself behind a sturdy door. She left six ch- _or was it seven?_

"Chara, was there a child with you on the way?"

Chara' SOUL cracked a bit, she felt a thorn running deep down her flesh. Burying her head in her Mother's robe, she muffled a few things, and all Toriel's droppy ears could catch was.

"... No Mother, they died on the way here ..."

Goat Mom squeezed her daughter like she never did before, sharing her pain and suffering. Both shed a few tears, but quickly wiped those and resumed hugging. Chara looked at her old Mother, held her paw close to their pulsing SOUL and whispered.

"He gave me my life back, at his own expense. I think I loved him, too."

Toriel laughed a bit, making Chara puff her rosy cheeks and mumble a _what's so funny?_ as she buried herself again. Toriel patted Chara's hair with her soft paw, and remembered a few things about her own First Love.

"Your Dad also gave me a life back then, at his own risk. Although we loved each other, our families would rather marry us to humans or other species in exchange for future services."

Chara recalled bits of that story, her Dad to actually take her Mom to some cottage and live there modestly, until their families saw no other alternative but to accept their union. He also took several wounds on their attempt to escape, nearly dying when they made to their small hideout.

"We both had reckless lovers, my child. They may be bad at times, but their heart is good deep inside."

* * *

"Frisky" remained in the room, eavesdropping to a conversation that was not supposed to be heard. Chara taled to her mother their last encounter, making it look like a dream. They left for breakfast soon after that, leaving Frisk to float around the room for a bit.

Nothing much has changed since they were here last time, not when they were a sane human child at least. The hallway from the basement the house, the entrance, the living room. All were still filled with memories of "Frisky" 's last genocide attempt, reeking of a mixture of monster dust and blood.

His eyes, dyed in deep red, could only see the basement back then. They craved flesh to cleave, bones to shatter, dying pleas and choked maydays in their ears. The grave, maddened voice of a warrior from the past haunted him, as his own fears synced in his folly.

 **Payback, revenge, death.**  
 _Bullied, ashamed, afraid._  
 **They left me to die alone.**  
 _They left me in the dark._  
 **I was beaten to death.**  
 _I wad bullied and mistreated._  
 **I never fought back.**  
 _I never talked back_.  
 **I want them to pay.**  
 _I want them to suffer._

Shadows formed beneath the ghost child, slowly taking away his sanity. His thoughts were sinking him in a cold, dark sea of death and decay. The shadows spread throughout the room, then went to seek out prey on the outside.

Chara just got back to her room, after indulging in a nice routine with her mom. She felt a dark wind howling close, as well as strange drips of a liquid she is familiar with. The black mud of corrupt determination was around her closet, and "moved" around in the small room.

Chara finally caught the invisible boy, who almost died from freeing his demons. He looked paler than usual, but manifested a corporeal form once Chara was close enough to his ailing body. He was smeared in black mud, but she did not mind that and pecked his forehead.

"You need not worry, my love. I'll SAVE you for real, just like you did for me."

Many a thing passed through his broken mind, but all converged into one thought : Chara was there for him, and only him. She had him lay down on their bed, and snuggled him carefully to not worsen his condition. "Frisky" collapsed from exhaustion, and all he heard were Toriel's earlier words.

 _"We both had reckless lovers, my child. They may be bad at times, but their heart is good deep inside."_

After Chara checked upon her sleeping "Frisky", she stroke his hair as his wounds closed up. Her SOUL healed his with all the love she had for him, even when it left a few more scars on his already battered body. Chara's own scars ached everytime she saw him in such a state, but she kept her composure as she clenched her fist.

That is how their stay at the Ruins started, with shadows on the run and hearts patching up.

* * *

 _ **Aru here,**_

 _ **Internally screaming at how slow the pacing of this story is, but I can't just let them go bonkers or shoot beams all of a sudden.**_

 _ **Corruption is at bay, though, more details to come on Saturday.**_ ** _Title is simply "past" in German, with all the grief and regrets one carry along._**

 _ **Vote and review at your own risk.**_

 _ **Aru out,**_


	8. Shadow Weekly

_"So don't be frightened, dear friend, if a sadness confronts you larger than any you have ever known, casting its shadow over all you do. You must think that something is happening within you, and remember that life has not forgotten you; it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall."_

 _― Rainer Maria Rilke_

* * *

Toriel kept a journal of sorts for a long time, with the occasional torn pages and ink bloats here and there. Most of the Underground writing supplies were in her house or at the Librarby, the other areas having little need or use of manuscripts.

 **20XX, Day 1, Month Unknown.**

 _Chara agreed to stay in the house for a week, and I do not know whether I should be happy or scared. She nearly broke my heart again when she wanted to meet ASGORE in his current state, but I cannot keep her too long from fulfilling her destiny._

 _My Angel is back, the so-called Fallen Angel we wished for in our bittersweet prayers. She even offered me to accompany her in her journey, which I never considered doing for any other child before. I suppose I did not have the courage to move out from here after so long, not ready to confront the subjects I left all those years._

 _Chara still loves chocolate, and that reassures me. She has not changed that much since her sudden demise, albeit being strangely more cheerful than necessary. She probably have issues of her own, and I would love to help her as a Mother, but I ..._

Toriel decided not to further write that day, having heard Chara call for her for a walk. She was living a strange dream, once she hoped would last of the remainder of the week. She delivered an entry the next day, having noticed strange occurrences during her walk.

 **20XX, Day 2, Month 7 (Probably)**

 _Chara and I noticed shadowy Froggits by the Monster Candy Room, they seemed normal except for their darkened pupils and skin. Some also hopped close and tried to attack Chara, but I protected her so she has no need to FIGHT. I also felt a child brushing my fur while Chara held me close, a child about her height who smelled just like her._

 _When I asked her about it, she blushed again. It must be the dead child she was talking about then. I would not press the matter any further to anger her, all I needed was to know my child was happy. She missed that human like I miss my past life with ASGORE, but I fear I cannot forgive him that easily._

 _I heard my child whispering to someone in her room, unsure whether she sees things or that child of hers was real. I left her a slice of pie and went down to the living room, picking a book while trying to decide whether I should go with her and an unsual guest who sat next to me._

 _Another missing person made its entrance, his name was Dr. Aster._

Toriel stopped writing this particular entry to think of that strange monster, who seemed to know more than he is letting out. She felt uneasy in the company of a quiet, eerie skeleton man who used to be their Royal Scientist. She feared he has done something to her daughter, perhaps he was the one to induce that self-talking into her.

 **20XX, Day 3, Month 7**

 _I left Chara to sleep that day, as she cuddled her pillow, muttering a name I know nothing about. She was my only sunshine through the grim days I had in the past, and having someone home made me feel safer._

 _The monster named Aster was nowhere to be found, he moved in and out whenever he pleased, and I tried not to mind him too much. He was as much for conversation as the training dummy, speaking only to greet me as his Queen, or asking for two slices of pie._

 _There was also that despicable flower did appear far away from where I meet the children, and their presence cannot be boding well. They plopped out as soon I spotted them, complaining about how shadowy monsters were squatting their favorite playground._

 _They also spoke of man who "speaks in hands" and bathes in the sun, as the looming shadows feared the being. Perhaps that was the cause of this corruption._

 _Checking on the Underground's far east garden, it had the stench of blood and dirt along the usual scent of flowers. The air suffocated my nostrils, and my heart throbbed with uneasiness when I set a paw on the once hallowed ground. Monsters were dying between flowerbeds, in the many dark spots the cave had. I tried to remain in the light to be saved, as I evaded whips and defended myself when necessary._

 _I had not seen any strange person in the sun, and staying too long could make go insane again. I left the garden, after raising another stone door with difficulty and enchanting it with a Delta Rune._ _I fear some unknown threat came to our world, and will eventually rob me of my child and home._

Toriel putted the pen away, hearing little footsteps approaching and someone knocking on her door.

"Knock Knock"

"Who's there?"

She recalled a friend of hers, doing the same door antics.

"Chara"

"Chara who?"

"Really, mom ... someone with Chara-cter?"

Toriel opened the door and hugged her grumpy daughter, who gripped the purple robe and smiled at how warm her mother was. The Queen of monsters enjoyed the semblant of family she retrieved, only going back at her journal the following day.

 **20XX, Day 4, Month 7**

 _Chara went to grab some Vegetoids for me, volunteering to have them drop carrots for my snail soup. Aster sat on the living room, reading a strange book only him could actually understand._

 _"Dr. Aster"_

 _He did not respond the first few times, then looked at me with bright pupils and knelt down again._

 _"I am sorry, my Queen, is something the matter?"_

 _I hesitated to open the subject, but I ask him about the strange shadows in the Ruins, and his odd readings. I would save Chara's case for later, when I get to know that person a little better. For now, it only smirked at me, perhaps that was their regular smiling face._

 _"I know little about this, Queen Toriel. My research have only gotten to the point of assumptions, one of which says that those are negative emotions"_

 _I did not ask him further about this matter, and finished preparing my soup while Chara comes back from her veggie hunt. She was incredibly late, then only came back bruised more than she should ever been._

 _"Mom, Even Vegetoids are getting ... darker."_

 _She showed samples of the bullets thrown at her, while I healed her bumps and bruises. A shame we cannot flavor that soup, but the increasing monsters of "corrupt" monsters had me worried. There is also that uneasiness in the Ruins that only grows stonger, making me question the presence of Chara and Dr. Aster._

Chara watched her mother giving her weird glances, poking her more than she ever did before. The girl looked at Aster, who shrugged before going out on an errand of his own. Toriel evaded her child's questions and locked her in her room for the rest of the day, crying a lot before falling asleep.

 **20XX, Day 5, Month 7**

 _Many a thing have been on my mind since I and Chara stopped speaking to each other. I also had a strange nightmare the night before, as a child of Chara's age stabbed me. They were both ecstatic and in pain, giving them a horrible expression. When I finally rose up from that terrible experience, colors started to get dim, and there was less sunlight coming out this way._

 _I checked on Chara's room, they were there but decided not to answer me. I should apologize later to them, my mind was busy distinguishing right from wrong. My heart wanted me to believe Chara was here, but all the nightmare, the shadows, and her unusual behavior were too suspicious._

 _I could not get to Dr. Aster again, he had been out for the whole day, only showing up at night with more troubling news : Angry Whimsuns and Migosps ravaging places they did not like, including that spider store down the corner._  
 _I cannot bear to take down all of them, but I will do what is necessary to cleanse the evil from this place_.

 **20XX, Day 6, Month 7**

 _The corruption took most of the Ruins by surprise, and those who haven't been affected took refuge in my house. I ordered Chara not to fight, I had no idea what will happen if they did. I heard them earlier, talking in their sleep, pleading someone named "Frisky" not to kill me. When I opened the room to check on them, there was indeed someone weighing on the mattress, someone I could not see._

 _Chara was gripping an invisible fabric, held by similarly non-existent hands and trembling in fear. She cried in her sleep, her invisible companion appeared to "wake up" as well, scrambling on the small bed before fading in the nothingness. Chara woke up as soon as the warmth of her friend subsided, looking at me with fearful eyes, afraid I saw or heard anything strange._

 _My Angel tried to flee me again, but I held them tight until they gave up fighting the embrace. Her tears made my robe wet, and her apologies cracked my SOUL at multiple spots. She said she was sorry, sorry for existing, sorry for killing herself, sorry for taking Asriel's life ... For that, I could forgive her, for it was never her fault in the first place._

 _Then I heard more apologies, those I could not fully understand. She said she was sorry for playing god with her DETERMINATION; she was sorry she made the children I loved go on a rampage; she is sorry she made her Lover do the same ; she is sorry for being so weak and reckless at the same time._

 _I was not sure what to do or think about that, so I went to FIGHT off the monsters that came to turn their fellows into dust._

 **20XX, Day 7, Month 7**

 _I am not sure what to do anymore._  
 _Chara is holding hands with the one they love, a child I finally remembered. They were so innocent before coming down here, as much I can recall from memories flooding me. We were in the basement, and I ended up doing what I always did._

 _I don't what them to go, so I picked a FIGHT with them._

 _Dr. Aster sat there, watching my eyes turn red and my fur dyed in black. My mind went blank, my paw was gushing blood and fire and I barely kept myself from hitting the faint hearts before me._

 _When I woke up, the boy held my daughter tight. The children were both covered in blood, and I as just like last time I met Chara down here. They gave me a few healing items they got on the way, making me more able to use my magic. After healing them, I could no longer channel magic in my paw ... and I felt so powerless._

 _The boy held me in a hug, or at least tried to. Chara did the same to help, both embracing me from both sides. From a minute, all my worries were washed away by a torrent of love. The bloodied, charred paw was slowly recovering too, making me able to hug back both._

 _"We are sorry for what we did, I am sorry for what I did."_

 _That was Dr. Aster's voice, echoing in the hallway. Nobody else talked that night either, as all the Ruins' monsters were nearly wiped out. Save for a few individuals, those who were not corrupt died fighting them. The area itself saw the light again, but it was just ... quiet, too quiet._

 _After talking to the survivors and offering them to live in my home, I nervously packed my first bag in many years. I could no longer stand being powerless, I could no longer see children going to certain death._  
 _Frisk was gone again, back to being a ghost perhaps. Chara was waiting for me near the door to Snowdin, playing with her thumbs as she looked at the hallway._

 _"Chara, it is time I come with you."_

 _She jumped off and ran towards me, excited to have me accompany her. Perhaps I should have done that before, perhaps I could have saved children that way. For now, I'll make sure my own daughter survives_.

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _When I tried to name this chapter, that title popped up instantly. Sure, it's not the Underground's usual scoops but I ... tried - not like the Librarby will approve either._**

 ** _Rainer Maria Rilke is a personal favorite of mine, for reasons you need not know - unless you wanna hear another boring life story._**

 ** _Until then, vote and review if you will, and see you next Saturday._**


	9. Ice Breaker

_Ice contains no future , just the past, sealed away._  
 _As if they're alive, everything in the world is sealed_  
 _up inside, clear and distinct._

 _\- Haruki Murakami._

* * *

Toriel felt strange being on the other side of the sealed door, she never knew a day like that would come. The Queen of Monsters haven't made a public appearance, not since the death of her children at least.

Everything beyond that purple stone door felt unreal, terribly unreal. She was too accustomed to the slow life in the Ruins, that even the sound of the chilling wind was strange to her. She was even more surprised to find that annoying flower outside, who wanted to speak but couldn't utter a word.

This time, Flowey was hardly concerned by Aster, who was hiding in the background. He had met the mother of the dormant SOUL within him, along her long lost daughter. Of course, the ghosts of their lovers tagged along behind, and he could only have minutes with a family he may never see again.

The sight was strange, three of the four Dreemurr family members stared at each other, nearly not knowing if that was their kin. Asriel, through Flowey, stared at Goat Mom so intently she was creeped out. She looked at Chara in worry, asking without a word if that monster was alright. Chara shrugged, she just pretended Flowey was just a confused monster, knowing who he really was.

They stayed in that staring deadlock until Aster finally came out of the shadows, along the two etheral beings that formed the party. Flowey muttered a **_hmph_** before plopping out, sending glances to "Frisky" like they were reminding them of their earlier encounter.

The dead human knew they had no more room for hiccups. Everybody seemed to be willing to pacify the underground this time, by non-lethal means. The half-dead, half-alive group of monsters and humans then moved out of the Ruins, and into Snowdin Forest.

Normally, sans would post one of his clones by the Ruins' door. He got acquainted with a funny old lady who practiced knock knock jokes with him. It was one of his few distractions down here, he was too busy trolling papyrus or locking himself in his room the rest of the time.

Sans could not shake the feeling that this timeline felt different, perhaps even more than the last two conundrums he witnessed. He steadily moved out to the farthest sentry post, only to feel his clone has ran back into him with alarming news.

"the door to the ruins has opened."

Sans' body froze a bit, whomever came that way had to go through that old lady first. They befriended the person behind the door for a while now. Perhaps the old lady was harmed or worse ...

Killed?

Were those kids he saw before crazy enough to kill monsters all over again?  
He knew all about what happened in the last few timelines, yet never had a clue what would happen in the next. He simply adapted himself to events unfolding, either guiding humans to ther barrier - or their death.

Well, he died last time as well.

Sans teleported with all those thoughts in mind, closing in to the Ruins' door. He stopped at his sentry post, forgetting to greet the party back at the gaping bridge. Toriel's crunching sound woke him up, as he slowly looked at the party. Sans was confused to see that many people coming out, chattering like they did not know each other.

First, demon girl as he used to call her. She looked different, tagging along a tall and strangely dressed monster. When sans heard the voice, he immediately recognized the old lady.

"uh ... knock knock"

Toriel suddenly turned around and faced the skeleton, who only earned a glare from a suspicious Chara.

"Who's there?"

"Mom? What are y-"

Sans chuckled, he just tagged along the joke, ignoring the now incoming daggers from the demon child.

"um, dishes"

"Dishes who?" Chara was yelling a ugh in the background, trying to get Aster to speed up along the two ghosts lagging behind.

"dishes a very bad j- huh, pops ..."

Aster was equally reluctant to meet his son, once again. Toriel did not knew about the two related, so she asked, still a little confused.

"Friend, is that your father?"

"yeah, nice to meet you too old lady."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Toriel, Guardian of the Rui-"

Toriel went with the usual introduction, only to find herself in a white landscape.

" ... I mean _former_ guardian."

Sans stretched an arm to shake hands, without any whopee cushion around this time.

"name is sans, sans the skeleton. "

A bony hand and a much sizeable paw met together.

"so uh, you hangin' out with a human huh?"

"Yes."

Chara got snuggled by Toriel as she scrambled in the embrace. It was nor something she wanted Bonehead to see.

"This is my daughter, Chara."

"guess you've been good to my pops too, thanks old lady."

Aster slowly shown himself behind Toriel,

"Sans"

"dad, you should pick a better lamp."

Aster chuckled, but Toriel and Chara did not get the gist of it until sans brought a strangely shaped lamp. Toriel eyes widened as she start laughing, but Chara seemed ... moved by the sight of the object.

"what up, kid, did you get spooked?"

Chara just felt like it was resembling Frisk, who strangely passed by her and held her hand. He was unwilling to show up, but couldn't just leave her there. He also noticed Papyrus had yet to arrive, and glanced at Arial who seemed lost in thought for a minute before speaking up.

"Partner, we need to look for him."

Frisk nodded, he squeezed Chara's hand before moving out, leaving some warmth in her palm. Sans saw the usually grumpy child draw a smile, a genuine one to boot. He chuckled low enough not be heard, as he followed the ragtag party of three. Only one other person could make demon girl smile like that, regrettably ...

"that other kid, huh."

They were the other **genocider.**

* * *

Papyrus has not been himself for days now, and his mood has not improved since he met a strange flower. He had no idea what it was, but the Great Papyrus never back down from making new followers.

"HELLO THERE, STRANGE FLOWER ! I NEVER SAW YOU AROUND THESE PARTS."

The plant looked back at the cheerful skeleton, her "body" blackened by some strange liquid.

 ** _"Hello there? Do you remember me?"_**

Papyrus, taken aback by the monster, wondered where he could have seen it in the past.

"NYEH? D-DID WE MET BEFORE ... ?"

 ** _"We did, I'm just another echo flower, and I am here to foretell your future ~ "_**

"FORETELL ... MY FUTURE?"

The great sentry was not sure this was an ordinary echo flower. Yet, he was curious as to what his future holds.

"D-DO TELL THE GREAT PAPYRUS A B-BIT MORE", he said, as his bones grinded when he heard a husky, deep cackling.

 ** _"Let me see ... Hm ! You meet a human, they are a golden key to access the Royal Guard position you seeked for so long ..."_**

"WOW...IE ~ I AM GOING TO BECOME A R-R-ROYAL GUARD?"

Papyrus was half-elated, half-afraid from his now monstruous medium. The flower that was at boot level, had grown to be two times his height.

 ** _"Yes, but you are a fool. You befriended the human instead ... you think you have a friend ... They go away ... and they're back again ..."_**

"I MANAGED TO G-G-GET A FRIEND? THAT IS GREAT ... THEY HAVE BEEN DRAWN BY MY FRIENDLY A-AURA."

The Royal Guard wanted to leave, they have heard enough good news. They felt something ominous was about to happen, as the giant flower's red flames flickered in their eye sockets.

 ** _"THEY CAME BACK TO KILL YOU, YOU DIMWIT !"_**

"N-N-NYEH ...? FRIENDS KILL ... EACH OTHER?"

The air felt heavy, so heavy it nearly crushed Papyrus' backbone. His belief in friendship was questioned, since when friends killed each other?

 ** _"DON'T YOU GET IT ?! A LOSER LIKE YOU WILL HAVE NO FRIENDS ! YOU FAILED TO CAPTURE ONE SINGLE HUMAN !"_**

The oozing substance covered the soil, inches away from Papyrus' brand new red boots. The giant flower was laughing madly, spraying the area with shadowly figures. Those either went underground or flew away, leaving Papyrus alone with his self-depreciating thoughts.

A loser.

Yes, Papyrus felt sometimes like that. He knew he was not as strong as Undyne, whom he admired. His passion for puzzles and eagerness to cook helped him hide his worries.

Humans never came his way, heck, he does not know what a human was. Now he was not even unwilling to meet them, let alone spare them.

The flower buried itself, leaving a sizeable crater in her wake. Papyrus went back home, made some burnt spaghetti and ate it anyways. He slept even without his bedstory that night, only recalling that living nightmare he met.

Day after day, Papyrus' mood worsened. He hardly tolerated Sans' puns or lazy disposition now, and nearly got in a FIGHT with him. He skipped his Royal Guard training twice, and was often absentminded during those he attended.

Undyne relayed the information to Sans, who sat in the couch as usual. The night before he actually met the party coming from the ruins, he waited for Papyrus to get home. His brother was different indeed, he never recalibrated his puzzles, skipped his bedstory and burnt every cooking recipe he tried.

The door was slammed again, Papyrus coming in stomping as he did the past few days.

"you okay bro?"

"NO, SANS, YOU STILL HAVE NOT CLEANED YOUR ROOM, CALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES, OR FOUND ANY HUMANS !"

Sans was a little surprised to hear Papyrus yell that way. He almost snapped out at him, a little irritated at how careless Papyrus was these days. Sans gave in at the last minute, after his pupils went on and off.

"look, bro. you clearly out of your mind these days, and yer askin me to do things you haven't done in a while yourself. you're going to become a _lazy bones_ like me if you keep it up."

Bone attacks flew by Sans, nearly hitting his one and only HP left. After a dozen more waves, Papyrus' left eye turned orange. He then spoke to his hidden brother, who dodged all of these attacks while sacrificing clones.

"YOU ... CANNOT UNDERSTAND ... I AM ... I ... AM NOT SURE I WANT TO CAPTURE A HUMAN ANYMORE ... I WANT TO ..."

Since when Papyrus stopped believing in caputring humans? Sure, sans heard about a _talking flower_ which spewed nonsense to a few Snowdin folks. It could be their doing, but for that ... they had to know about the timelines.

Next thing he knew, Papyrus had already left the house, and never came back since yesterday.

* * *

 _ **Aru here,**_

 _ **Danger looms wherever that party goes, or so does this story might rolling with.**_

 _ **Haruki Murakami has his own alien way of describing things, but he nails them. Past timelines preserved in ice?**_ GENIUS !

 _ **Both stories will have their Chapter 9 by next Saturday, since I got places to go.**_

 _ **Vote and Review !**_

 _ **Aru out,**_


	10. Bohemian Rhapsody

_"I grieve and dare not show my discontent,_

 _I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,_

 _I do, yet dare not say I ever meant,_

 _I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate._

 _I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,_

 _Since from myself another self I turned."_

 _\- Elizabeth I_

* * *

Frisk looked at Toriel once more, seeing how happily she was skipping with Chara. Like Aster, she scared monsters off to guarantee there will be no casualties. Not that her daughter wanted to kill, but Toriel felt she should do her part for the sake of the party.

He and Arial floated ahead, looking for the missing Papyrus. They searched every tree, puzzle, and snow puff. Frisk mentally noted the one with the G's to tell Chara about it, although she never took items unless necessary ...

 _"I wore this for you as well ... Do you like it?"_

... or when she wanted to show her "love".

She really was silly to love someone like him, and the thought made Frisk absent-minded for a minute. Arial noogied him Royal Guard style, making him yelp and rub his spectral head.

" Aw ! What was that for, _partner_? "

" Don't let your thoughts slip away, partner, we need to figure out where my son is, I - "

Frisk saw Arial's jaw gaping, before she choose to wear a frowning face. He knows what made her look concerned just now, after all ...

 ** _" Remember who killed my son just now, human. Remember who the real monster is ... "_**

... both killed Papyrus last time they met.

Leaving that aside, there was absolutely not trace of Papyrus, no puzzle was properly re-calibrated, and even the frozen spaghetti was missing. Arial and Frisk started to get worried, shadows crawling along the path they took. Before either of them spoke, they laughed it off all of a sudden.

Of course the living would be fine together, after all, or so they thought.

Frisk waved to Arial so she comes along the exit of Snowdin, where Papyrus could be hanging out to stop humans. The village was unusually quiet and empty, gifts were left unwrapped at the tree and only a few dared peeking from the window. Arial searched what Frisk recalled to be the brothers' house, but even Sans was not there.

Both ghosts managed to see Papyrus in the distance, holding a bone as tall as himself. He stood there, not moving despite the chilling wind and thick snow. His eye sockets were glowing from afar, and seemingly ... crying? Arial slowly hovered over her son, she could barely recognize him. It's been so long since she actually did not outright **kill** him, the thought being so absurd she wished she could die again.

Frisk simply stood there, in the distance, unable to do a thing. While Papyrus did not seem to move or see any of the two ethereal beings, he seemed to mutter something. Frisk could only hear a part of it, something along the lines of :

"Humans do not know MERCY, why did Sans lie to me?"

Papyrus threw a bone close to where Arial was floating, scaring her rather than doing any damage. Something fled from the bush where the bone landed, a monster kid with no arms that Frisk barely remembers. After spending some time along an unresponsive Papyrus, the two ghosts were backtracking to meet the party at the village's entrance.

"I'm sorry I made you kill my son."

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop it."

"You did"

"Did I ?"

Arial remembers that her partner at the time struggled not to finish him off, which infuriated her firsthand, but now ...

"You did, partner, thank you."

... she would be eternally grateful if they could SAVE him this time.

* * *

Chara hardly recognized her mother now that she walking along her to Snowdin Village. Back when she was not revived, she used to go as far as Waterfall. She did not like the cold that much, but people eventually settled there once the capital got too crowded for their taste. Toriel was jesting with Sans ahead, leaving Chara stuck with a note-taking, mute Aster.

"Why are you still scribbling on that old memo?"

Aster hasn't turned around, and kept on writing what he saw as the party walked across the forest.

"Research is like the void, endlessly expanding through time and space."

"Funny thing, coming from a Voidwalker"

"I agree, although our once sharp minds were dulled by the illusion of time."

Chara looked nervously at yet another monster consumed by a shadow, what you would now call a Darkcap. Each time Chara acted normally, the Icecap would attack a little harder.

Toriel kept healing her until she heard Bonehead whisper something through the FIGHT.

"perhaps you should not ignore him, for once, like you did with those you sliced before."

Chara winced a bit, but nevertheless looked at the Darkcap intensly. He was getting flustered at the attention, and left without further ado. Chara got healed by her mother, who hugged her a tad tighter than usual.

"Mom ! I'm ... really dying now ..."

"Thank goodness, you're alright."

"sounds like she capped her knife sheathed"

Both Mother and child threw daggers at the jesting skeleton, but quickly laughed it off before departing. Aster beckoned his son to his side, which surprised the comedian who reluctantly approched him.

"what is it pops, you bone dry already?"

Aster chuckled lightly, wondering why this baby bones of his decided to talk to him.

"its not like i have a choice, they're having a moment there."

"Is the Queen ready to meet her once subjects?"

Aster had the unpleasant habit of cutting to the chase, but sans never minded that. He simply told his father about their earlier conversation, as Chara looked behind her to make sure he doesn't gossip too much. Skipping the first half full of puns, Aster noted the rest carefully.

"Thank you, we may now hope she can rally the people for us."

"heh, who wouldn't like a cuddly, fiery goat mom like her?"

Sans dodged a snowball, then another, then a lot more coming from a steaming Chara. This skeleton had the nerve to try hitting on her own Mom after.

"Chara ! Please behave !"

While Chara went to apologize and hug her mother, Sans shrugged and gave a "told you" look to his dad. He then asked him on a pressing matter : The shadows.

"It seems all creatures we fought against, have been tainted so to speak. Our deepest fears, regrets, and desires manifest into shadows and corrupt any monster they can reach."

"spooky scary shadows, huh? never thought we'll have a challenger."

"You do know you could just smoke them out, baby bones."

A laughter was heard ahead of Sans, both females started giggling as they picture a baby Bonehead. He sighed with a smirk, it was hardly imaginable to just waltz around with people he could be hating.

The Father who left them alone.

The Child who murdered them all.

Truth is, he could forgive them. He would not be able to forget what he saw, as much as the old lady would.

They even had that conversation earlier, wondering whether they could stomach that much sin.

"y'know what your little naught daughter did, right old lady?"

"I do, although I still cannot believe it or remember much about it, except for those nightmares.

"yea, she was a little edgy at the time, but guess the other kiddo helped her to stop."

"Frisk, was it? What a waste to lose another human child."

Sans had that dread feeling each time he almost snapped, his lights went out whenever someone pitied people that shouldn't be.

"i cannot forgive either of them, for killing paps ... can you forgive them for "killing" you that much?"

Toriel stopped for a moment, she looked at her once white paw. It was now permanently black, since the healing didn't get rid of the color.

"I cannot really do that either but ... I've been waiting for a day like this for a very long time so ..."

"can't say i ever saw that day coming either."

* * *

After dealing with a few more dark monsters, who almost killed Chara more than once, the party finally arrived at Snowdin. Thanks to Toriel's healing, Aster's mysterious powers and Sans' bone baits, Chara was there in one piece. She slowly got in the familiar village she passed by so many times, covered in monster dust and wielding a freshly bleeding blade.

Monsters looked both amazed and intimidated by the new party, whispers about every member were escalating. Nobody seemed to recognize Toriel yet, but the Grillby regulars waved at Sans before going for another round.

A few monsters however, seemed to glare at Toriel. She looked back at them for as long as she could, feeling increasingly embarassed. Chara gripped her robe, then gave her a hug - in a Frisk fashion. She looked puzzled, questioning her child about this behavior.

"He used to do this, so I can relax."

When Toriel hugged Chara, the Snowdin Village "Mayor" moved forward, making sure he was not mistaken.

"Queen Toriel? ... your majesty ... is back?"

Goat Mom looked a little afraid now, but sans stood next to her, as well as Aster. Bonehead could not keep himself from saying thay she goat this.

"Ehehehe, maybe I do after all."

She looked back at the bear monster, who knows seemed certain of her identity.

"Yes, I am back. I am sorry for leaving you all this time."

A silence suddenly filled the village, people were being briefed by the Librarby staff about the Queen. Cheers erupted shortly after everyone knew about Toriel, who squirmed a bit but waved back like the royalty she was.

"Thank you, my children. I am glad I finally managed to come out and see you again. I had reasons to recluse myself before, my children were dead, and our King decided to shoulder the burden of killing human for our sake ..."

Monsters listened to the speech, Sans whistling for fun and Chara yelled Go Goat Mom in the background. The audience laughed at the two jesters, but was still uncomfortable around the man who stood next to the Queen.

" ... as of now, my daughter came back from the dead. As unreal as it seems, I am grateful. I no longer need to stop humans from coming this way, but I still require everyone's help now. We will find a way to get out of here, without killing any- "

A mouse monster, along with a few other skeptical individuals, wanted to say something.

"But we need the human SOULs to cross the barrier right? Can't the human just give us his SOUL? And who's that monster anyways, he looks creepy !"

Clamor could be heard, as people started to argue about what should be done. As Toriel planned to get their attention, Chara moved up and spoke.

" I am the Fallen Angel."

The dispute ceased right away, people looking at each other in disbelief. The girl sure looked like the princess they had, as far as the legend they read or heard of.

" I was given back life thanks to this monster you know nothing of, and another human who died for my sake. I would do the same to SAVE you all, laying my life for my home is too little a price."

"We do not want you to die, Angel !"

Monsters said that out loud, making Chara on the verge of tears. They had no idea how bad she was, they just hoped she would save them all, like the prophecy foretold. Still, uneasiness could be felt as they stared at Aster, who seemed unphased by the whole thing.

"um guys, i'm going up"

"What up, Sansy, gonna do another gig?"

Laughter filled the place, the wacky skeleton's antics were popular in town and made people happy. Sans wanted to help the old lady, even though it meant he would help monsters he is not fond of - the other two members of his "party."

"guys, i think i need bone-ding advice. the guy you've been staring at is my old man."

Confusion were visible among the Snowdin folks, who wondered how a human and a monster managed to come back to life.

"he ain't the best pops ever, but he got backbone and got a pretty heavy skull. just uh ... go easy on him."

A round of applause ran through the village grounds, along cheers and hopes and dreams of freedom. Everyone started dispersing after shaking hands with the Queen and meeting her party of sorts. Chara was exhausted, so she lent an inn room for two, expectong her mom to come. The other three were busy dealing with the locals, thus Chara used that alone time to sleep for a bit.

Nostalgia filled the room she was in, it was the same one she used to share with Frisk. She could still hear him confess, after he fought off her demons and subdue her.

 _"BUT I LOVE HER SO MUCH !"_

She will never forget his face when he saif that, a desperately innocent child trying to help their one and only "friend".

* * *

 _ **Aru here,**_

 _ **There are many little flashbacks in store for the next bonus chapter - which will probably crash down here on Wednesday.**_

 _ **It's just another one of those chapters I finished up after a all-nighter - sort of - so no promises it is any good.**_

 _Mamaaaaa ~ oooooooh ~_

 _ **... or why you could get ot not what the title has to do with all that crap I wrote - same for the quote really.**_

 _ **Vote and review, dear reader, just make your voice heard.**_


	11. In Memorandum (Bonus)

_Intelligence is the wife, imagination is the mistress, memory is the servant._

 _\- Victor Hugo_

* * *

 _THIS IS WHY I STARTED HATING HUMANS._

 _I BELIEVED THAT STRANGE ECHO FLOWER TO BE TELLING THE TRUTH, THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN SMELL THESE THINGS, NYEHEHEHE ... HEH, I ALMOST THOUGHT I STILL HAD A NOSE._

 _IT APPEARS TWO HUMANS CAME TO ME AND FOUGHT ME VALIANTLY, NYEH? I DO NOT REMEMBER ANY OF IT, BUT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD HUMANS ! THEY DEFINITELY LOVED MY COOKING, APPRECIATED HOW COMPLEX MY PUZZLES ARE AND MUST BE WILLING TO BE MY FRIENDS ... OR SO I THOUGHT AT THE TIME, SAID "FLOWEY"._

 _THEN, THE SAME HUMANS THAT SHARED MY COMPLEX FEELINGS OF GREATNESS HAD GIVEN UP BEING HUMAN AND ... KILLED US MONSTERS FOR NO REASON AT ALL. IT IS STRANGE, THE GREAT MEMORY OF THE GRAND PAPYRUS CAN ONLY REMEMBER ONE HUMAN AND ... MOTHER?_

 _WHY IS MOTHER HERE? "FLOWEY" TOLD ME NOTHING ABOUT THIS ..._

 _WHY IS SHE POINTING THAT DAGGER AT ME?_

 _WHY IS THE HUMAN CRYING?_

 _WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?_

 _WHO SHOULD I BELIEVE NOW? ..._

 _THE GREAT PAPYRUS DO NOT KNOW WHOM TO BELIEVE NOW, NYEH ~_

 _NEITHER SANS NOR "FLOWEY" ARE TELLING ME THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS, AND THE HUMANS DO NOT SOUNDS ANY BETTER NOW EITHER. I HEARD A COMMOTION IN TOWN AND RAN THERE, ONLY TO FIND SANS WITH A BIG ASGORE CLONE. THERE WAS ALSO A HUMAN, AND THEY LOOKED LIKE WHATEVER SANS TOLD ME ABOUT THE PRINCESS THAT DIED._

 _WHY ARE THERE DEAD PEO- NYEH? THERE IS DAD TOO?_

 _I SHOULD STAY AWAY AND STOP THE HUMAN, NYEH. THEY MIGHT BE FOOLING US AGAIN ~_

* * *

 _looks like demon gurl will behave, with the old lady around. heh, she sure got better at being a human in that much. i remember dunkin' her so hard back then ... and that kiddo went all slappin' and confessin'._

 _hehe, pretty shocking reveal if you ask me._

 _bet he would be surprised to see his gurl and her mom being celebrities in here, hehe._

 _guess he is around floating with mom, wondering why he was such a bad kid. told that gurl before, kiddo shouldn't get knives or we'll be treading on a thin edge. sure kids don't here their pops these days, or ... not even, i'm not doing well with aster either._

 _pops seems, uh ... alive. sure is weird to see him not possessing me or something. saves me the headache and the whole power surge but ... doesn't not really excuse his ghastly motives. why would he want demon gurl to free the monsters anyway. that kid's been rotten since the start, sure she changed last time but not confident how long she can stop being a stabbing lass._

 _yea, she changed. talking on the phone with her was weird, like ... her falling in love rather than in LoVE, and with a human of all things. thought she told me she hated everyone, right before i dunked her and she got RESET'ed._

 _then the kiddo came, and things were cool ... until that same kid did the same mistake._

 _should have kept an eye socket back then, but i'm no good at promises, huh?_

 _hope i don't get a chance at throwing a bone or blasting a human, not that i don't mind, really._

* * *

 _These people sure look excited to see me, after all this time spent in the Ruins. I believed I was forgotten, I really counted on it as well. To be honest, the burden of being a Queen was too heavy for me. Since Asriel and Chara died, Asgore had been firm in killing humans to break the barrier. That was never my intention of course, and we bickered for the first time in ages._

 _I wonder how I should deal with him, perhaps lecturing this old goat hard will do for now._

 _Monsters I do not know of flocked around me, amazed to see their "Queen" is back. I have no idea what a Queen should nowadays, but I feel excited about teaching them for the time being. I'm using the librarby as a classroom while Chara recovers,_

 _Chara is back, and although I should be happy about it, I do not feel that excited. My child had been here before, I can feel it. After all, those nightmares were not just that ... they were real. Chara really killed me along her lover, more than once, to get humans past the barrier. I always wondered what I did wrong, or what should I think of her now that she is alive and kicking._

 _I can only assume Aster's companion had been the one corrupting my child, which is odd. That monster was an upstanding Royal Guard, who valiantly died to help us escape._

 _Maybe she did not feel that way, the loneliness must have been too much to bear. I should know, the whole time spent in the Ruins, helplessly trying to prevent the inevitable._

 _Humans came, humans left, humans died._

 _Then came a few others to kill us, then others to be forgiven._

 _We too need to be forgiven, but I am not certain I can ever forget what Chara did. As her current parent, I can support her, but a part of me will always remember that ... abomination she was._

 _Yet,_

 _Chara seem eager and happy to see me, and feels guilty about what she did. She is just like the child of old, the one we picked up back then._

 _When we were a family._

* * *

 _That room, where I lied down after being roughed up by Frisky and Bonehead._

 _How nostalgic._

 _I can still hear his confession echoing through my demon self, shaking its very core. I can still hear his ragged breath, as he checked me up before I passed out._

 _Later on, he came to the room, scrambling around to get me patched up. It was quite cute, to see that child caring so much about me. He always did the right thing, always made me feel right, had the words to get me out of my misery._

 _At least, until he made that shady deal._

 _Perhaps it was Aster showing him the consequences of his future acts, as if deep inside, he wanted to try how I felt when I killed people._

 _Perhaps it was my clumsiness that made him draw the short straw, endangering himself than my SOUL yet again._

 _Still, I could not bear the weight of being the one to hurt him every single time. Even so, I like his company, that is why I went on that dark path again. I went back through Hell to bring back another Fallen Angel._

 _Then, there is Mom. She cannot possibly forgive me for what I did, yet still does her job as a mother. When did I go wrong? I do not know ..._

 _Maybe when I unintentionally poisoned dad with buttercups._

 _Maybe when I convinced Azzie we should teach humans a lesson._

 _Maybe when I tried taking over humans, or obey that thing._

 _Definitely not when I killed those "parents", they were wrong to begin with._

 _Mother is doing well with children, she enjoys teaching them puns and snail spots. The children do not mind how silly her jokes or facts are, they're still young enough to enjoy it. I almost never had that chance, except for one miserable year, and one timeline with Frisk._

 _Aster seems to lay low, perhaps I should talk out to him about his kids. Bonehead is not exactly the perfect child, but I could make amends this way, I just ..._

 _I just want to make things right, just like Frisky would._

* * *

 _"Partner, are we really saving them all this time?"_

 _"Yes, we are, partner ... and that includes your sons"_

 _"Have you grown tired of killing people already?"_

 _"Not like I ever wanted to try that any further, it was ... exhausting to say the least"_

 _"Haven't you like the thrill of it, the power that flows into you, to be the one in control "_

 _"I never was the one in control, I've let you lead me down a highway to hell"_

 _"You looked like you enjoyed being a bully though ... a broken, frenzied bully."_

 _"I won't lie, I did ... but the price was too high for me to keep it up."_

 _"You're a strange human, partner."_

 _"You're quite odd yourself, for a monster ... have you quelled your revenge at last?"_

 _"I've lost the will to do so ... after all, you saved my long lost beloved."_

 _"And so you did, she even got to see her family now ..."_

 _"Are you alright not being with her? I can keep an eye on him by myself. "_

 _"I'll stay here as well, I want her to be safe. She could also enjoy her mother's company that way"_

 _"You're not a bad human after all ..."_

 _"You're getting a little better at being human, partner_."

* * *

 **Humans, and Monsters**

 **Working together**

 **Worrying by themselves**

 **In a world that is getting dark**

 **Darker,**

 **Yet darker,**

 **Interesting, very ... interesting.**

 **What do you think, readers?**

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _Weird chapter, huh?_**

 ** _I must really like Hugo to use quotes I barely hinted, yet again._**

 ** _Memories, recollection, nightmares and the like is a pretty recurrent theme eh? No wonder it's not one, or two, but Three Times Below._**

 ** _Chapter 10 for each story this Saturday, before I go on hiatus for fixes ... other stuff on the making._**

 ** _Stay tuned for more, vote and review if you'd like to._**

 ** _Aru out,_**


	12. Incredulidad

_Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see._

 _— Benjamin Franklin_

* * *

Every person in the makeshift party this timeline made had their reasons to disbelieve. Seeing Toriel teaching kids casually made all monsters drop their jaw. Their Queen was back, and did not bother any protocol of any sort, just sitting there and teaching rowdy monster kids.

"Miss Queen, do you have any children?" Asked of the bunny Innkeeper's kids.

Toriel almost shed a tear, but composed herself before smiling to the innocent question.

"I do have a human daughter, my child."

The bunny kid beamed suddenly, uttering words Toriel never saw coming.

"Then they should be happy with you, Miss Queen, because you're really nice to us."

Toriel went on crying this time, unable to hold the tears that formed up in her eyes. Kids gathered up to hug her, and the younger ones gripped her robe. She spent a good minute crying, making some children tear up along her. They apologized for making her cry, to which she happily responded.

"It is okay to cry, I am just ... so happy you told me about how you feel."

Monsters gathered in the Librarby, some scolding our children and others apologizing to their newly arrived Queen. An open picnic was made for the occasion, Grillby taking care of the tremendous amount of orders that day. Some monsters managed to help him with what they had, like the bunny shopkeeper who served cinnamon buns and bisicles.

A group gathered around Toriel, making her feel like it was a human press conference. Chara was not there to help, and Sans was not seen around since last time. The only one who crept behind her shadow was Aster, and some presence akin to Chara.

Toriel recognized the ghost child's hugging her close, in a desperate attempt to quell her nervousness.

"How was staying away all this time away, Miss Queen?" asked a monster in the back row.

"It was hard, my friend. Humans kept coming down here and died on my watch. I could not do anything for my fellow monsters either, I ..."

Toriel felt powerless again, torn by the feeling that she hadn't made the wisest decision. Nonetheless, the monster thanked her for her honesty and sat down. The meal was peacefully enjoyed, until one of Grillby's regulars stood up and yelled.

"You know, having our Queen is fine and all ... but why is there a human here? and where is Sans, or Papyrus? Did the human do something to them?"

Some ruckus sparked upon monsters, who were divided between those who fully believed in Toriel and those who didn't. They almost fought among themselves, until the Innkeeper barged in and yelled.

"The human has not left her room, everyone ! They cannot possibly be running around and killing monsters in their state ! _You should trust your Queen !_ "

The argument trailed off a bit before going completely silent, and everybody resumed eating quietly. Some monsters came to apologize - yet again - for being distrustful, others did not have the delicacy to and just left to their respective houses.

* * *

Frisk floated around Toriel as the argument heated up, unable to do much about it. Thankfully, monsters save her from being further criticized, and everything seemed to be back to normal. Frisk felt uneasy, however, but couldn't exactly place it. He felt like shadows roaming around, passing through people and making them agressive.

He could swear he saw one passing through that ugly, and perhaps drunk monster.

Frisk hovered over the town, unable to find their partner around. Aster seemed to have vanished as well, leaving Chara and Toriel on their own. He concluded they must be looking for the corrupt Papyrus, the one he and Arial saw yesterday. The aspiring Royal Guard, half-covered in black mud, and with an orange pupil like Gaster's left one. He hadn't budged yesterday, as if frozen in place. Unable to trigger him, both partners left him to keep their loved ones safe.

Frisk entered the familiar inn, slowly moving around until he heard Chara's voice. He peered inside, looking at her talking to herself. She seemed ... troubled by something. She rambled about things he could not make sense of, so he approached her carefully.

He did not want to be seen yet.

 **"DieMonsterLeaveMotherAloneAllOfYouShouldDieAndRotWhatDidMomDoToDeserveThisIShouldHaveNeverThoughtOfMakingHerTagAlongDieMonsterLeaveMotherAloneAllOfYouShouldDieAndRotWhatDidMomDoToDeserveThisIShouldHaveNeverThoughtOfMakingHerTagAlongDieMonsterLeaveMotherAloneAllOfYouShouldDieAndRotWhatDidMomDoToDeserveThisIShouldHaveNeverThoughtOfMakingHerTagAlongDieMonsterLeaveMotherAloneAllOfYouShouldDieAndRotWhatDidMomDoToDeserveThisIShouldHaveNeverThoughtOfMakingHerTagAlong"**

Chara looked in pain, slowly dripping blood and tears as she muttered those words indefinitely. Black mud started welling around her, and shadows threatened to circle around and pounce. Frisk widened his eyes, hurrying to Chara' side before it is too late.

Slowly taking corporeal form, he scooped her unintentionally, getting "stabbed" by shadowy spines in the foot. Withstanding the pain, he hugged Chara closer as she started snapping out of of her trance-like state.

" Frisky?"

" I am here."

" Are you really Frisky?"

" I am the one you love, Chara."

" Are you really not leaving me this time?"

" ... "

For some reasons, Frisk could not answer this one. After all, he already left her once before to go on a bloody carnage.

" Am I no good?"

" Stop ... "

Chara started squirming in Frisk's grasp, willing to set herself free.

" I knew it ... you are not the real Frisky. The real one would promise me things and make me happy "

She wanted something he could not provide right away, promises he could not honor ...

... Yet, he really did not wanted her to be consumed by the shadows looming in the room.

" Chara "

That voice made Chara's expression soften, retracting the shadow spikes back to the floor.

" I am no longer alive, remember, I died for your sake. "

Black mud surged from the earth and almost started consuming Chara whole. It was drowning her halfway through her body, imprisoning Frisk too. He could not extract himself out of it, so he kept talking sense into his delusional once beloved human.

"I cannot lie to you, I cannot make promises I cannot keep. "

Her eyes turned red, her expression twitched to a menacing grin, she seemed like the one Frisk _never lived to see before._ He was afraid, but he held her face close, slowly drawing his lips to hers before he dies along her in a black bubble.

" I can only stay close to you, help you from the shadows, and allow myself to love you ..."

He kissed her slowly, her eyes closing along his. Frisk started feeling what Chara felt before. The pain of losing herself to a demon; the treatment she got on the surface; her newly found family under the ground; her losing people dear to her; her initial death.

Chara could not believe the feelings that washed her worries away, and broke the black prison she trapped Frisk in. She simply responded to the kiss with a tongue intrusion, prolonging the act until she ran out of breath. Chara looked around with her eyes open, noticing Frisk was gone ethereal again.

She could hear the unspoken words, the ones Frisk meant to leave before he faded again.

 _" I can only allow myself to love you ... and believe we can be together again ... someday. "_

* * *

Arial looked around where her son was, wanting to make things right on her own. She did not expect neither Sans nor Aster to follow, thinking they would stand by the Queen to help. The former Royal Guard floated closer to her husband, in hopes of getting whole again and see her son.

" ... "

Sans didn't really know what to do in that kind of situation, except punning nervously.

" whoa, should i be getting a skele-ton of feels right now? "

" Now, now, it is isn't the time for skull-cracking jokes son. "

" ... hey ma, hey pops "

" Hello, Sans "

Nobody in the W.D. family liked difficult family reunions, and this was one of them. Sans especially hated both his parents right now, but can't really discard their help to find Papyrus.

"Arial, shouldn't we go where our son works?"

"Waterfall, my dear? Are our sins already water under the bridge?"

Both looked at their son intently, and Sans couldn't help but sweat ... before losing the light in his eyes.

 ** _" are you sure we can forget all the bad times that easily? "_**

Both parents stared at each other, then at their son. They slowly approached him, triggering a FIGHT. Sans tried throwing bones at them and firing loose Gasters to keep them at bay. He knew how futile that was, Arial and Aster advanced without taking a hit. They then knelt besides him, and ...

... hugged him.

" ... hey "

They squeezed him slowly, like the old times. Sans couldn't even remember when that happened before.

" ... uh "

He awkwardly moved his hands to each of their skulls, patting those as magical tears appeared on each and every one of them

" ... stop that ... "

The FIGHT ended with a little extra skeletal fluff, in which all three boneheads remained until they had their fill. They then moved out to Waterfall, looking around for the missing Papyrus. Passing through the quiet, dim-lighted scenery made them a little nostalgic. There ware times when they were not completely left on their own, trapped in their own personal hell. They were times when there was no war, no void, no timeline jumping ... when Papyrus was still a baby bones who had no cares in the world.

But that was definitely not the Papyrus they saw, hanging on a cliff in Waterfall.

His eye sockets were tainted in black mud, and he looked exhausted. They carried a sizable bone around, probably to be used as a weapon. Papyrus also wore one of Sans' hoodies, gripping it like their life depended on it.

Arial came forward and tried talking to her son, hoping to not have to use force.

"Paps, it's me, Mama."

Papyrus looked at the skeletal female who spoke to him, both confused and angry.

"YOU CANNOT BE MAMA, MAMA IS DEAD SINCE I WAS A BABY BONES"

He then looked at the ghastly skeleton behind, and the one wearing a similar hoodie. All three looked like his old family, but Papyrus was too corrupt to even believe that was possible.

" heya paps, i doubt you can even tell who we are but uh ... we're the good guys ...

" ... And we are here to save you, my lovely little baby bones ... "

" ... Perhaps you cannot believe it yet, but we are all here. "

Voices echoed through the aspiring Royal Guard, voices he were familiar with but unable to ascertain whether they were real.

"LIES, ALL LIES ... THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LOSE TO HALLUCINATIONS !"

Papyrus initiated a FIGHT against the closest person to them, namely Arial, who looked saddened by the prospect.

Arial looked at her options, her ACTs were limited to guarding and switching weapons. She could also request backup, both from the living and the dead.

Her ITEMs were said weapons, and browsing through them only made her frown. One particular item had a different feel to it, a simple bone dagger with a long, narrow blade. Arial planned to use that as a last resort, knowing what this _"misericorde"_ was doing in her inventory.

That was the same weapon she finished off Papyrus with, back when she was controlling Frisk.

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _I don't usually use / speak Spanish, but when I do, it has to be a good chapter title._**

 ** _As you know already, I'm taking some time off TTB and OAA to fix them as much as needed. That might last between one and three months, since I'm also starting other projects in the meantime._**

 ** _Disbelief in Spanish - the title - sounds strangely close to the French word for it, by the way._**

 ** _Until then, read and vote and review as much as you feel like it. If you can Beta-read either TTB or OAA, that would be great too._**

 ** _Aru out,_**


	13. Miséricorde

_"_ _Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill."_

 _\- William Shakespeare_

* * *

 **[FIGHT started**

 **Papyrus hesitates to attack you**

 **You try SPARE'ing your son**

 **He throws back a bone at you]**

"It would have been that easy, knowing how your are."

Arial was not too surprised of the outcome, bur it was worth a try. Still, she wanted to leave her son unscathed and try waking him up.

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW ME, SPECTER !"

The confused Royal Guard only got a little angrier than he was, still thinking he is being fooled by someone impersonating his mother.

Arial gave it another try, unable to see either her husband or other son. Perhaps they can be summoned by her BACKUP option. Saving that for hairy situation, she simply tried checking on him first.

 **[PAPYRUS - CHECK**

 **\- PAPYRUS ? ATK ? DEF**

 **"No longer the son you knew, but can still be SAVE'd"**

 **Papyrus attacks you ... not !**

 **He is unsure of what to do.**

 **And so are you.]**

Arial kept watching her son using the large bone he had in his possession ... as some parade outlet. Papyrus kept throwing up, swinging it or twirling it around, as if he was getting the hang of his weaponry.

He had on intention of striking the first blow, although the voices echoing inside him longed for bones shattered and monster dust.

"I-I-I AM ONLY TESTING YOUR PATIENCE, FAKE MOTHER. YOU WILL NOT PASS THROUGH HERE YET."

Arial sighed, she had to actually FIGHT Papyrus seriously to wake him up. Unsure of her actual stats, she wanted to keep the damage to a minimum.

She got surprised by a couple bone attacks coming out of nowhere, prompting her to use her guard at the last minute.

 **[ You use GUARD.**

 **The bone shield was surprisingly effective.**

 **Papyrus look at you in admiration for a moment, then switches back to his former stern expression.]**

"YOU ALMOST HAD ME THERE, FAKE MOTHER ! NOW, FEEL THE WRATH OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS !"

Arial raised her shield in expectation of normal attacks, but was somehow hit.

 **[Papyrus used an ORANGE attack.**

 **He annoyingly repeats NYEHEHEHEHEHE everytime he hits you]**

Arial discovered her son's newfound power firsthand, taking a bit of damage as she failed to move along the attack. Sans and Aster stayed still, unable to ACT unless they were summoned.

"and he were are, _sitting this one out_."

"It is not that bad, **Sir** Lazy Bones."

Chuckles ensued, irritating the great Papyrus. He was in the middle of launching an attack too, causing him to miss. Being distracted was the least of his worries, he was thrown into disbelief once he heard familiar laughs beyond the black FIGHTing box.

Arial held herself well, but was also tired of hearing her son's monotonous laugh. There was little passion behind it, unlike the Papyrus she used to know. Granted, he was stronger, but also hesitant to attack with all his might. Arial thought she needed to stall for time, just long enough for Papyrus to use his true power.

By then, he might be open to the idea of being SAVE'd.

SAVE'd from the beliefs that shackle him.

SAVE'd from the curse cast upon the Underworld.

* * *

Not far from there, Frisk floated around his last meeting spot with Papyrus. A few things were off, but the long, snowy path was eerily quiet. There was no fog this time, except for hasty crunches on the white ground.

Chara walked with Toriel towards Waterfall, since the Queen had to ascertain the skelebros were safe. Monsters were still quite divided about her still having a human child, but Chara volunteered to go look for Sans and Papyrus, followed by her mother who naturally went with her.

As Toriel was still worried about how she could convince Monsters of the goodness of her child, Chara squeezed her mother's hand.

"I'll be alright, Mother."

Toriel hasn't seen her child since their time apart, taking her a bit by surprise. She stopped to hold her child close, hugging them more than they should.

"M-Mother?"

Frisk was smiling as well, passing by the unfolding scene. He went ahead of them to check upon the Skeleton family, and eventually prevent anything unfortunate from happening to them. He went by the empty guard post Sans guarded, listening to the underground river and losing himself in thought.

A mishap.

 _A blade slip._

 **Someone hurt.**

 _ **Someone dying.**_

Frisk wanted none of that, definitely not. Catching up to where they were, his partner was nowhere to be seen.

" 'ssup kid? you _spirited away?_ "

" They are better off without your bone-derline jokes, Sans."

Frisk brushed aside the rowdy welcome and went straight to the point, since Arial was nowhere to be seen.

"Why is Arial not here?"

" fighting papyrus "

" And us family cannot intervene until they we are summoned by her. "

Frisk needed Chara around to go into fights, thus he just hovered along the two other members of a reunited family. Sans and Aster sat there silently, exchanging glares and patiently waiting to be called forth.

"Aren't you worried?"

"nah"

Frisk was a little thrown away by how stern Sans look, like when they met in Judgment Hall. Aster was equally serious, albeit with a smile plastered on his "face".

"There is nothing to worry about, human."

"Why so?"

Aster paused for a while, looking at the three oddites assembled on a snowy carpet.

"Because it is rare to find three repenting killers, sitting idly without doing a thing."

Sans chuckled, Frisk giggled, and Aster simply smiled at how ironic it was. It is when theie urges would be needed that they vowed to stop hurting each other.

"heh, talk about a gathering."

"Yeah, a bit too bloody for my taste."

Aster chuckled softly, but soon noticed something and turned around.

"I sense something approaching."

"There is nothing to worry about, it's only the Dreemurrs."

How nostalgic.

How long has it been since there were two Dreemurrs together.

Aster looked at the Queen holding a small human hand, moving slowly towards the improvised camp they setted around the area. Sans brought his hot dog stand, Aster conjured a few magic seats, and Frisk floated around Chara to hold her hand.

Chara felt the touch and blushed, looking at the hand on her left. With a mother and a lover at her side, she could do anything. Sans smirked at his favorite _demon gurl,_ then looked at Frisk long enough to make him question why he did.

"y'know what you have to do kid."

Frisk smiled.

"Chara dear, can I?"

Chara looked around, wondering what was happening moments before they arrived.

"What is going on, everyone?" asked Toriel, her too unsure of the whereabouts of Papyrus.

"Chara dear, **can I fight ?** "

Both mother and daughter widened their eyes at the request, puzzled as to why the dead would fight the living's battles.

"Because it must be hard for her to fight her son."

Silence ensued, soon broken by a kiss on a hazy cheek. Frisk was embarassed to a fault, but could not reciprocate the feeling right away. They were things to do, and Chara just gave Frisk the green light to go in.

All gathered in the small camp, waiting for the story to unfold mercifully.

* * *

 **[Another ghost joined the fray.**

 **Papyrus grunted unpleasantly**

 **They recognized the human.]**

"Partner?"

"Yes, Partner."

Arial had been enduring attacks, losing a quarter of her HP and unwilling to endanger her family any further. Frisk knew that monster would think so, thus he decided to enter the FIGHT.

"IS THIS ..."

Papyrus opened his jaw, feeling that human was the one that caused him to drown in despair.

"... THE EVIL HUMAN"

 **[The Human requests you to use the dagger you held behind your back**

 **You look hesitant to hand it in.**

 **He takes your hand instead.]**

"Trust me, Arial."

Strange, this is the first time this partner ever called her by name.

"Frisk, was it?"

The human child looked at the tall skeleton woman, smiling as he held the thin, bony hand.

"I'll protect you as you approach him."

Arial laughed, she thought of it all along, but could not see an opening to do it. Giving her shield and dagger to Frisk, she walked behind the child.

 **[Papyrus attacks relentlessly.**

 **The human blocks and breaks the magical bones.**

 **You feel safe.]**

Although Frisk took a bit of damage everytime he blocked the barrage of attacks, He tired Papyrus just enough for the attacks to slow down.

"NYEH, WHY IS THIS **HAPPENING ?** "

Or so they thought.

Before Arial could react, a bone almost went through her.

When she opened her eyesockets, she could feel someone close.

A bleeding human, a bamboozled monster, and a long bone spear.

Why is this happening?

* * *

 _ **Three Times Below is back, 'nuff said.**_

 ** _Yeah, maybe not as good as it used to be._**

 _ **Thank you for your patience, and see you next month.**_


	14. Ex Nihilo

_"Tired, tired with nothing, tired with everything, tired with the world's weight he had never chosen to bear."_

 _\- F. Scott Fitzgerald_

* * *

There are things that come from nowhere, those you never expect to happen.

Arial never expected Frisk to come along and SAVE her from a fatal blow, neither did the Disbeliever, nor any of those present there.

Chara held that body she loved so much for a while before it went to the spectral world, crying her heart out and turning back to a confused Papyrus.

His eyesockets grew orange, then blue, before going dim for a minute. Chara wanted to avenge Frisk so badly, but she could not do a thing in this timeline. She knew that her urges would be her downfall.

She cursed the Ribstones in her breath, before looking at where would Arial stand. The mother felt the gazes, that of her son looking for relief, and that of a daughter that hated her guts.

She started by checking upon Frisk, who goy badly damaged. Him going back to being a ghost SAVE'd him from losing any sort of hold in this world. Arial did the best she could to patch him up, before floating back to Papyrus, who stood there with a spear in his hands.

Sans and Aster did not budge once, they knew they would only get in the way. They simply witnessed how the kid got stabbed, and that was far too familiar.

"that kid love pointy things, like a certain _someone_ clutching her fist just right here."

"Bonehead, don't ..."

"Indeed, Sans, there is not need to provoke her any further."

Sans sighed, although things were okay with Chara, he could not bring himself to trust her fully just yet.

"MAMA ..."

Everyone turned towards Papyrus hugging thin air, as some skeletal figure appeared from nothing. A tall, slender, and slightly feminine bone figure stood there. She had a few cracks here and there, and still held a dagger in her bony hand.

Papyrus kept calling his Mama as she hugged him as long as needed, slowly making him regain some consciousness.

 **[...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **THAT CANNOT BE RIGHT ...**

 **THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT LOSE TO A FAKE MAMA.]**

Before he could land a hit, Papyrus got "stabbed" in the ribcage. Dripping black mud filled his surroundings, as a shadow howled and left his body.

Papyrus felt empty.

So empty.

So _terribly_ empty.

Sans had stepped in for a second, aided by his father who took the the dagger from an unaware Arial. She too was took off guard when Papyrus hugged back, crying his SOUL out.

The whole monster family joined in for a hug, including a reluctant Sans. As touching as this _bone-ding_ was, the Comedian had no puns to deliver.

He was no better than Chara, was he?

She, who left the family alone, ran to find her own surrounded by anxious monsters.

"Human ! Where is the duo?" yelled a fish monster.

"The Bone Brothers?" said Chara, almost as if she was a Grillby regular.

Everyone else nodded, and gulped when the child grinned darkly for a second.

"They're okay, they have ... a family meeting of sort."

Most Snowdin villagers just looked at each other, except Toriel and some old ones. Few knew about that family, and Chara just felt her own grab her for an embrace.

"My child, you are back ..."

She could feel Toriel shaking slightly, perhaps because the Queen thought she would lose her again. Just like her desire of getting Frisk back, Chara was eager to have her mother come along, and make memories they longed to have.

Just like all the children that hugged them.

Bunnies, monster kids with and without arms, children of all statures and species got in and hugged the queen and their human counterpart.

Chara felt something weird inside her, it was not her Love for a human, it was just ... warmth, sheer bloody warmth filling her insides.

For a second, Chara forgot about Frisk ... until Arial whispered to her.

 _"Princess, the child awaits in your room."_

* * *

There is nothing stranger than talking to a fellow killer of sorts.

Frisk felt the dread in Sans' voice whenever he was near the grinning, lazy skeleton. Long ago, that vibe never came in mind. Now that a genocide took place, it is as if everything he knew about Sans disappeared.

"kid, why so _dodgy_? ya scared or somethin' ?"

" ... "

Sans also looked at Frisk with caution, even though he only went through _that_ once. After all, Frisk did kill him on the first try, he was so determined to do so that even Sans was surprised.

Both stood in silence as Frisk laid down on the bed, still etheral and weak. Although he managed to escape a fatal blow, he got seriously injured and needed some timeout. Chara took her time to come, and Frisk simly gazed at Sans before speaking quietly.

"I am sorry."

" ... "

"I really am"

" ... for what, kid? "

" ... "

"chill out, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Plus, you're already _laid back_ enough now."

Frisk laughed, it was a lame one, but it made him laugh a bit. Sans took some time to defuse the tension, he kne he could snap at the kid if he ever apologized for ...

 _ **Killing Papyrus.**_

Both spent some time chatting like in Grillby's, Frisk being the not-so-clueless child anymore. Sans was still resentful of both children, which made him a little distant at times. Still ...

The bed in Snowdin Inn felt like old times, and Chara climbing the stairs was the clue for Sans to hop in a portal and leave.

"need anything?"

"Two burgs, please !"

"gotcha"

As the knob moved to open the door, you could see a pale girl running hastily into the bed. She hugged the body that was not their yet, as a torso slowly formed where she snuggled something. Chara looked frightened to see anything wrong with Frisk, but sighed when there were no signs of his previous injury.

"Chara."

"You're here"

"I am here, and so you are."

 _"You are really ... here?"_

 _" I am, Chara."_

It took a while for them to learn how to hug again, how to love again, how to feel again.

Chara was afraid of losing him, Frisk was afraid of losing her. They looked at each other in a hurry, felt each other's skin in a hurry, brushed manes and caressed cheeks. They stole a few kisses, some strong, some weak. They gasped and felt their heart pound, and fire beneath the flesh. They looked at the deep red, and the tender chocolate.

Chara, however, never had enough.

She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him oh so hard _they both melted in a instant._

Arial was there, watching from afar, hoping she could see her beloved do the same. He was busy being a father again, although it felt far too alien for him. He had been seeing his son's culinary work, and although the taste was questionable, the passion was there.

Sans muffled a laugh as he drank some ketchup swiftly, before Aster pinched the bottle just enough to spil a little.

"uh, pops, now i really look like those kids."

"Oh, sans, you never were into drama and bloodshed."

"I CAN HEAR THAT, FATHER !"

Strange indeed.

Beyond strangely flavored spaghetti and wasted ketchup, Aster felt like home for once. Once in a lifetime of void, he felt he could stop watching timelines unfold. Once in a lifetime, he could just be part of a quiet family time.

"Arial, come on in."

"MAMA?"

" ... "

"Sans, I know you don't want me here yet, but ..."

Sans slowly grabbed his slippers, went through the twenty meters between him and his lost mother ...

... and did a whoopee cushion handshake.

Arial was speechless, so much that Sans could not tell if that worked. She then laughed, _hard, so hard you could hear her jaw cackle_. Everybody did afterwards, for the silliest thing ever.

This timeline felt good, for all those lost SOULS.

* * *

Papyrus had a rough night that day.

He did a good job keeping a smile all through it, especially when he broke into tears when he was "defeated". The Great Papyrus was no better than those humans who came down here to fill in urges to kill. He just felt that today, that overwhelming darkness that corrupts the heart.

He went to bed like usual, after hearing a bedtime story and snuggling in his dream car. Arial and Aster went to the Inn for the night, while Sans just stayed in his makeshift lab just like every day the God of the Underground made.

Papyrus rolled in his bed, hearing voices he never heard, and saw that wretched flower again.

 **"KILL OR BE KILLED, THAT IS THE TRUE WAY OF THE UNDERGROUND!"**

He heard that so many times while watching monsters die by his hand, then humans, then ...

 ** _Sans._**

It was as if he was the human genocider, only humans never NYEHEHEHEH. He felt what Frisk and Chara felt. Emptiness in their heart, an urge to throw sharp bones at everything and anything. He could not believe anymore that there was good in the world below the surface, or that _he could possibly see parents he never knew much of._

Today, he stayed a bit with his father and fed him his homemade spaghetti. He knew it was not that good, but the monster ate it all and praised his work. The Great Papyrus had sparkles in his eyesockets, which made him cook some more for the days to come.

Yet, that joy went away.

That night, Papyrus stood awake, afraid, unwilling to close his eyesockets. He shivered with a weak nyeh, looking left and right. He wanted Sans' company, since he was the one who raised him up until now.

Then, somehow ... He got hugged again.

He could tell who that was, his mama felt his distress and came along floating. She stayed for the remainder of the night, holding his skull in her lap.

"MAMA ... I ..."

"I know, Papyrus, hush now ... you have done nothing wrong."

* * *

 ** _Aru here,_**

 ** _Adulting is hard, truly._**

 _ **Yet, here is some sort of a chapter, to settle things to come. If you know the whole Latin phrase, you could tell there is much more to come later on.**_

 _ **There are many things that come**_ _Ex Nihilo,_ _ **love being one thing among others.**_

 ** _There are also many things I know nothing of, including the author of the quote, but it does serve its purpose._**

 _ **R &R if you will.**_

 ** _Aru out,_**


End file.
